Calla
by RiverWriter
Summary: She had been missing for more than ten years. But then she had dark magic cast on her in the Department of Mysteries, and that insidious curse did more than just injure her physically. It revealed a secret, a truth. Hermione Granger could finally be recognized as the girl she'd been at birth: Calliope Nott.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

October 1984

Calliope Nott had never been so excited in her short life. Having recently turned five, Father had said that she was 'practically a young lady now.' But, even better, Mother had pronounced that she was old enough to accompany herself and Aunt Cissa on one of their witches' days out. She just knew that she was very grown up now. Not that she minded staying home with Twin and her Dragon when they were younger. They were, after all, her favorite people. But she wanted to learn how to be a lady and for that she needed Mother and Aunt Cissa.

She'd known, since practically always, that they were the most beautiful, elegant ladies around. Not just because Father and Uncle Lucius said so, Calliope could see with her own eyes how pretty they both were and how all the other ladies of their acquaintance wanted to be like them.

So, she would learn how to dress and how to act, and what exactly happened on a witches' day out. And then one day when she was even more grown up she'd get to go to all the balls and parties on the arm of her Dragon just like Mother did on Father's arm.

The first thing they did on their day out was have breakfast in a fancy restaurant. Calliope didn't eat out often, which was okay because the elves at home and at Malfoy Manor made the yummiest food- she knew because she'd eaten at other estates and meals were never as good there. But it was fun to eat in a restaurant for a change.

She beamed with pride when everybody wanted to talk to Mother and Aunt Cissa, and even more so when they wanted to be introduced to her and she was complimented on her manners and on how much she looked like Mother.

They asked after the baby in Aunt Cissa's belly too. Baby Lyra, though nobody outside of the family knew what her name was to be. Calliope was excited about the baby, happy that her Dragon was going to have a sibling like she did. It wasn't quite as wonderful as having a twin, but she wouldn't tell him that.

She was also secretly pleased that the baby would be a baby for a long time still. That meant she would get her godmother and her mother to herself for awhile longer. By the time Lyra was old enough to do witches things with them Calliope would be able to teach her all about it. It was perfect.

They went shopping next, which was a little bit boring but Calliope did her best to be patient. She knew that if she acted like a baby she'd be made to stay home next time and she wasn't having that. The last thing she remembered was walking into a shop. She had been promised it would be the last one before they stopped at another restaurant for lunch where she would be allowed to order the desert of her choice as a reward for good behavior.

"You've been so good my Calla Lily," Mother had praised, carding her fingers affectionately through Calliope's curls, "Father will be so proud to hear what a credit you've been to our House with your behavior."

It was the last thing Calliope ever heard her mother say.

* * *

She woke up in a dark room on a cold floor. The only source of light was some weird contraption that Calliope had never seen before. A glass ball dangling from a cord. She decided to stay far away from it in case it was dangerous. She yelled for somebody, anybody, and it wasn't long before she was in tears.

She was in that room for what seemed like forever. She cried and screamed for Mother and Father, Aunt Cissa and Uncle Lucius; none of them had ever let her down before, and yet they didn't come. She cried for her Dragon and Twin, two people who were so much a part of her that she couldn't fathom that they'd truly been separated. She cried herself sick, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

She woke up again on a strange bed surrounded by stranger machines. The air smelled funny and the light was too bright. There was a woman wearing odd clothes sitting next to her bed. But at least she had a kind smile on her face.

"Good morning sunshine!" She said cheerfully, "we've all been waiting anxiously for you to wake up."

She wondered who the 'we' was that the woman was talking about, she didn't see anybody else.

"Before I call for your doctor can you tell me what your name is?"

She opened her mouth to reply but found that she couldn't, because she didn't know the answer, and that scared her so much that she forgot to ask what a doctor was.

They discovered over the proceeding days that she could answer very few questions. She knew that she was five years old, but she couldn't remember her birthday. She knew that she was British, but she couldn't be more specific than that. She knew that she had a family, or rather she sensed that there were people out there that she missed terribly, she just couldn't provide any information about who they were or what they were like.

It was as if somebody had wiped her memories, taken from her everything that made her, her. But, of course, that was impossible. That would be like magic, evil magic. No, there had to be a reasonable explanation for her memory loss.

'It must have been a terrible trauma,' she heard them whisper, 'to have given her such a bad case of amnesia.'

'But she doesn't have a scratch on her, and her scans are clean,' others whispered in return.

'Emotional trauma could do it, especially since she's so young,' they all eventually agreed.

There was something else they all questioned as well: who would just abandon a child like this? Because she was clean and well fed, there were no signs of abuse or neglect. She spoke with a posh accent and a rather impressive vocabulary for a five year old. She bore every sign of having been somebody's beloved daughter.

They plastered her face all over the news looking for any information as to her identity or the location of her family. But nobody seemed to know anything, it was like she'd appeared out of thin air. And nobody came looking for her.

On the fifth day a couple called the Grangers came to see her in the hospital where she'd awoken. They offered to take her home until her family could be found. When they asked her what she'd like to be called she'd just shrugged helplessly.

'How about Hermione?' They wondered, 'we always thought if we had a daughter we would call her Hermione. Just until you remember your name, of course.'

They were very nice and something inside her urged her to be polite to them. That things would be easier for her if she didn't resist them. So, she acquiesced, went home with them, and let them call her Hermione.

Just until she remembered. Just until somebody came for her.

Except neither of those things ever happened and 'Hermione' became her future as well as her present.

It was only in hindsight that she realized how lucky she had been. The Grangers were just supposed to be a temporary solution, a foster family. But they loved her like she was their own and after a year they started to talk about adoption. Soon she was not just 'Hermione' but 'Hermione Granger.' S

She tried to be happy with that, to love her new parents without pining for the family she'd lost, whose memory she didn't even have to treasure. In turn the Grangers were very understanding. They allowed her to mourn her old life the best she was able to given that she couldn't remember it, and they tried their best to give her a fulfilling new one.

When weird things started happening around her, her new Mum and Dad stuck by her. They took her to specialists, held her hand while she went through a series of scary and sometimes painful tests. They assured her that their love for her was unconditional, that she was theirs. They even gave up on the idea of adopting another child to be there for her.

They gave her a good childhood, if a rather difficult one. Without the memory of her first five years she had to relearn a lot of basic skills. Things any other British child would just know by aged five.

For instance, while she spoke French as fluently as she spoke English, as well as some Italian, and she knew the basics of playing the piano and note reading; she didn't understand any of the fixtures in the house. She didn't know not to touch a hot stove or to be careful of electric sockets. She often forgot to turn on the lights when she entered a room. Cars and the danger they presented were a foreign concept to her and she had to be supervised very carefully whenever they left the house.

It was a mystery on top of a mystery. But the doctors told them that the brain was an enigma and all they could do was work diligently on filling the holes in her knowledge.

But that, as well as her intense love of learning, set her apart from other children. And then there were the bizarre things that often happened when she was present, which scared more than one of her schoolmates over the years. So she spent her primary school days largely alone. She was seen as a bit of an oddity and was no stranger to being bullied. But she was loved, and that was enough to sustain her.

Then, on her eleventh birthday- or at least the day the government had assigned as her birthday, because they didn't know when it actually was- a stern woman in a pointy hat appeared on the Grangers' doorstep. She solved one mystery for them. There was nothing wrong with Hermione. In fact, she was special. She was a witch and she was invited to attend an exclusive boarding school to learn magic. Her parents worried about sending her so far away, but she just knew that Hogwarts was where she belonged.

That prediction turned out to be more correct than she possibly could have known.

* * *

June 1996

Hermione accompanied Harry to the Ministry on his supposed rescue mission. Of course she did, it was her job to protect him- self-appointed though that job may have been. The hat had wanted to place her in Slytherin for good reason; she saw machination and manipulation when it was right in front of her face.

Which meant that she knew it was a trap. But Harry needed as many wands at his back as he could get, so she allowed herself to fall into it with him. She did her best to summon the Gryffindor within her as they flew to London, but she knew that they were in over their heads and she was terrified.

And then not only was it a trap, but Sirius wasn't even there. Surprisingly, the Hogwarts contingent held their own for awhile, at least considering that it was six school children against twelve fully grown witches and wizards. They were tossing jelly-legs jinxes and stunners against an arsenal of deadly spells from the Death Eaters. Voldemort wanted to deal with Harry personally, but the rest of them were expendable. She, especially, was just a pesky mudblood, these men and women would be happy to see her eliminated.

Sometimes it was a burden to have such a quick mind. It did not help her to be thinking all these things while she was fighting for her life. Harry, impetuous though he unfortunately was, made up for it by being able to think on his feet and was able to instruct them admirably.

She was thinking that they just might make it out of there alive when she made a critical error. She turned her attention away from a silenced opponent, forgetting for a moment that many fully qualified wizards could cast wordlessly. She looked up in time to see the sickly purple curse coming her way, but too late to do anything about it. She only had enough time to wonder if it would be the last thing she ever saw.

**Author's Note: Well, there you have it, my new story. Two years ago today I posted my first story over here and I wanted to thank you all the wonderful support and love I've gotten since then with something new. Those of you screaming at me for starting a new WIP, this has been in the works for awhile, also 'A Second Look' and 'The Beginning of Everything' will both be wrapping up in the next couple of days. I'd love to hear what you think about this, I'll probably post the next chapter pretty soon to go ahead and get into the meat of the story. Thanks for reading and happy birthday, Hermione! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Severus Snape felt every single one of his thirty-six years, and then a couple of decades on top of that. He was already exhausted from this war and he knew that it had only just begun. And of course Potter, whom Albus swore was their only hope, was doing his level best to get himself killed and seemed determined to take as many of his friends with him as possible. It was a miracle they wouldn't be burying six students after that fiasco at the Ministry.

Poppy had just roused him from his bed because it turned out that Miss Granger's injuries were too much for even her capable hands, and she needed his expertise in the Dark Arts to heal the girl. She'd apparently been hit with one of Dolohov's favorite curses.

Severus could only assume that the man had been somehow disabled at the time because she would already be dead if he'd cast it at full power. He hurriedly finished gathering the supplies he'd need to treat the Gryffindor know-it-all and made his way to the hospital wing.

When he came in view of her bed and caught sight of her face he stopped dead in his tracks. Only his years of spywork allowed him to quickly compartmentalize what he was seeing and gather himself so that he could do the job he'd come to do. Anybody else would have been too shocked to continue.

Because the young woman on the bed was clearly Hermione Granger, she looked no different than when he'd last seen her the previous afternoon. But it was now obvious to him that she wasn't _just_ Hermione Granger, she'd been born Calliope Nott. Severus' clever mind quickly came up with a theory: she'd been placed under a charm that concealed her identity by whomever had taken her, and that it had been shattered by the force of Dolohov's dark curse.

However, understanding that intellectually didn't stop it from _feeling_ like an earth shattering revelation. One that was inevitably going to shake up their world.

Severus had known Calliope as a little girl, but she had been missing for over ten years. Her disappearance was infamous in magical Europe and it had almost destroyed two families. If he hadn't understood the complexity and strength of magic that would have been required to keep her identity hidden for so long he would have felt foolish for not recognizing her sooner. But he knew, without specifically knowing how it had been done, that she'd been well disguised and hidden in plain sight.

She was also the spitting image of her mother and even ten years after her death Marguerite Nott held a special place in Severus' heart. Of course, he had always intended to tend to Miss Granger's wounds to the best of his ability, but now that he knew she was actually Miss Nott, doing so suddenly became much more personally important to him.

Marguerite Nott née Beauvais- Daisy, as she had affectionately been called by her friends- had been four years ahead of Severus at Hogwarts and was a fellow Slytherin. She had been kind to him from day one and was one of the few who didn't turn her nose up at his Northern accent, his secondhand robes, or his half-blood status. She had been too old to truly be his friend while they were in school, but she had been a rare and essential ally.

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She had introduced him to her best friend, Narcissa Black, who had, in turn, introduced him to her betrothed, Lucius Malfoy. Lucius would end up being the only reason Severus was able to obtain a potions mastery. He recognized his talent, encouraged his interest, and eventually sponsored his apprenticeship. Severus wasn't naive, he'd known Lucius had cultivated his talents for his own purposes- Malfoys were brilliant at knowing how to invest in the right things- but he'd needed a benefactor and Lucius eventually became a friend as well.

Marguerite went on to meet and bewitch a wizard twenty years her senior and once Severus left Hogwarts he became a welcome and honored guest in her home. On the surface she appeared to be more of a Hufflepuff than a Slytherin, as kind and caring as she always was. But a small peek into the cunning way that she handled her husband and ran her household would have told you otherwise.

Oh, she'd loved Tahvo Nott deeply. However, pure blooded women rarely wielded the kind of power in their marriages or control over their husbands' ancestral estates that Marguerite had.

Severus had admired Marguerite and had enjoyed her company in a way he rarely had another person's. She had been brilliant. And he could admit that it was a trait she'd passed on to her daughter, as loath as he was to compliment a Gryffindor for any reason.

Though Severus strongly suspected Calliope would have been a snake if her identity had been known at the time of her sorting. He'd heard about what she'd done to Dolores Umbridge not twelve hours ago. Not that the toad hadn't deserved it, but the girl had a ruthless streak the other professors chose to pretend didn't exist.

Severus still vividly remembered the beaming smile on Marguerite's face on that day more than seventeen years ago when she had informed him that she was expecting, and twins at that. It had been the only time he'd actually been pleased to hear that there were more children coming into the world, and that was simply because he knew how much she had wanted them. (When Narcissa Malfoy had announced her pregnancy he'd only worried about the size of that child's ego, no matter how fond he'd grown of Lucius and Narcissa.)

But he had never considered he might actually grow to care for the children she was carrying. But he had. The wisp of a girl lying on the hospital bed in front of him had ensured that.

While Theodore had been quiet, like his father, and right from the beginning seemed perfectly content to live in the shadow of his tiny twin. Calliope had been an alert and personable baby who grew into a charming and affectionate little girl. She simply wouldn't be ignored and had everybody who met her wrapped around her little finger in minutes. For Merlin's sake he had, on more than one occasion, witnessed her godfather Lucius allowing her to _play with his hair_.

Draco had, as the story went, loved her almost from the moment he emerged from the womb and Calliope adored him in return and very quickly, much to their mothers' delight, the twins and the youngest Malfoy became inseparable. So, when she'd disappeared seemingly into thin air right out from under the noses of both her mother and godmother while shopping in Diagon Alley at aged five, it had completely devastated not just the Nott family but the Malfoys as well.

In the wake of Calliope's kidnapping Severus had been interviewed by aurors, as had every friend of the family. He'd suggested to the investigators that whomever had taken her had understood the family dynamic in addition to their relationship with their closest friends, the Malfoys, very well. Taking Calliope had probably caused more damage than any other single act could have, and only somebody who knew the central place the tiny girl had played in all of their lives would have been able to predict that.

The baby Narcissa had been carrying was born too early due to the stress of the ordeal surrounding the kidnapping and only survived a few days. Heartbreak and guilt at failing to protect her daughter ate at Marguerite and she succumbed to doxy influenza within six months. Tahvo and Lucius both withdrew into themselves, Theodore largely became an orphan.

Draco still had his mother. But it was almost as if she was afraid to show him the affection she once had. She would have wrapped him in cotton wool if she had believed it would have kept him safe, but she couldn't love him like he craved.

And Theodore and Draco, once like brothers, became nothing more than polite acquaintances. In the five years they'd been under his care Severus had only seen them exchange words a few times, and they lived in the same room for three of those years.

Severus had watched it all with a sadness that surprised him. His own childhood had been even more of a nightmare, after all. But there was just something especially tragic about watching two houses that had once been filled with joy, descend into despair.

He hoped that Calliope's reappearance would bring Marguerite some peace in the afterlife. He couldn't even begin to imagine the effect it would have on the living.

Miss Granger/Nott was relatively lucky. The damage was extensive, but it was mostly reversible, and more importantly, he had the knowledge to reverse it. She would have a scar but it would be little more that a pale line bisecting her breasts and continuing down her chest and abdomen to her right hip. Evidence of such a dark curse simply couldn't be completely erased.

Severus knew that teenage girls could be vain and dramatic creatures. However, now that he knew that he was dealing with Marguerite's daughter, he could admit that she'd demonstrated enough sense over the years to lead him to believe she wouldn't allow such a trifling thing to bother her unduly. He had no idea if she'd be able to move past the role her father and godfather had played in doing this to her and her friends. Such issues of the heart extended far beyond his area of expertise.

Poppy helped him finish bandaging the wound. Calliope would have to take a regimen of potions and the area would be raw and prone to infection until that was completed. As they finished cleaning her up and settled her as comfortably as possible in the bed he heard the healer gasp.

"Severus!" She hissed, "this girl is Calliope Nott!"

He bit back a sigh. He'd hoped that he would be the only one to recognize her, but that had been a foolish idea. Even though he didn't think any of the other staff had ever met Calliope, but many of them had taught her mother, and the resemblance between the two was remarkable.

Not to mention her picture had been splashed all over the papers in the weeks following her disappearance. Then she continued to be mentioned regularly for years afterwards. Every wizard in Britain, and most on the continent knew her story. She was the Lindbergh baby of the magical world.

"Yes," he agreed, "I recognized her as soon as I got here. I can only assume her identity had somehow been cloaked but that the effect was shattered by Dolohov's curse."

"That makes sense, but why would anybody do that?" She wondered.

He shrugged. "Perhaps her kidnappers merely wanted to remove her from her family, deprive her of her life as a Nott and them of her company; turn her into a muggleborn. She has certainly suffered because of it. Maybe they found that easier to stomach than physically harming a child, or maybe they actually thought that this was worse. I know her father and her godparents, at least, would consider being raised by muggles to be a fate worse than death."

Poppy shook her head and clucked in disapproval and sympathy.  
"What do we do?" She asked.

"I think we put her in isolation until she wakes up and can decide for herself. I will inform the Headmaster and her brother. For differing reasons they can be counted upon to keep quiet."

"The poor girl just fought in a battle against her own father!" She exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I imagine the next days are going to be quite an adjustment for her, I don't know if it will be easier for her if her memories have also returned or not. Given how she reacts, this could change the course of the war," he observed gravely.

"Are you serious, Severus? She's just a girl! I know she's bright and has the makings of a powerful witch but she's not even of age!" She wailed.

He bit back another sigh at the healer's Molly Weasley-esque hysterics.

"She is the beloved only daughter of a politically powerful, ancient and wealthy House. And it was in all the papers when she went missing, but I don't know if you remember, her godparents are the Malfoys. Which essentially makes her the beloved only daughter of yet another powerful, old, wealthy House. On top of that, she's actually betrothed to Draco. Not only is he Scion Malfoy but with Black's death he will become Head of that House next summer when he comes of age. This little witch holds in her hand the key to much of the Dark Lord's political sway and even more of his monetary backing."

Poppy just stared at him, open mouthed. "I see why you think we need to keep this quiet."

"Quite."

When he was finally able to leave the hospital wing it was already time to address his Slytherins. It would not do for any of his students to find out their relatives were in Ministry holding cells and on their way to Azkaban from the morning paper or the rumor mill. Almost every person arrested had a child, a niece or nephew, or a close cousin in his house. This was not going to help the way most of the school already treated them.

He would inform Albus of Miss Granger's true identity only after he took her brother to see her. Despite what many thought, he did have a conscience and he wouldn't risk the chance that the wily old man might try and keep them apart, particularly in such a trying time.

And then he would brace for the fallout.

**Author's Note: You guys are so amazing. I never imagined this kind of response to this story, but I couldn't be more grateful. I said I'd update soon, and I will continue to do so as much as possible without ignoring my other WIPs. But seriously guys, THANK YOU. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Theo was trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his father was going to Azkaban. He'd been arrested inside the Ministry where he'd broken in with eleven of his so-called brethren. He'd participated in a battle against six of Theo's fellow Hogwarts classmates- with _kids_. And the Dark Lord was back. Of course, Theo had already known that, but now the whole world knew it too and that made all the difference.

Theo understood, intellectually, that his life was about to become much more difficult. But he didn't know how to process it all. He just felt numb.

The Slytherin common room was quiet the entire time Professor Snape addressed their house, almost unnaturally so. They were always very respectful of their Head of House, but this silence was more than that, it reeked of resignation. Theo wondered absently how many Slytherins would be brave enough to leave the safety of the dungeons and face the rest of the school that day.

A feeling of dread began to build inside of him when Professor Snape asked to speak with him alone. He wasn't the only one to have a parent arrested, so he had no idea why the professor was singling him out. Things were already bad enough, he tried to brace himself for the possibility that they could get worse.

"Have a seat, Mr. Nott," Professor Snape addressed him once they were safely ensconced in his office.

Even though he really didn't want to sit down, he just wanted to get this over with so that he could go hole up in his room and try to get his head on straight, Theo knew better than to argue with what was clearly a command. He hastened to seat himself across the desk from the professor.

"I will not ask if you are alright, I know that would be an absurd question given what you've just learnt," the professor continued.

Not for the first time Theo was thankful for his Head of House's no nonsense attitude. He'd known the man his whole life and he understood that Theo would not appreciate false platitudes. He knew that Theo had survived too much tragedy to believe it when somebody tried to tell him that everything would be alright. Because sometimes, as he very well knew, it just wasn't. Sometimes things stayed wrong.

"Thank you sir, but I've been through worse."

The professor gave him a curt nod. "I know," he said softly. "Amidst it all I do have some good news for you."

"Sir?" He questioned with a frown.

"Calliope has been found."

Theo's mind went completely blank, and his eyes fell shut. When it finally began working again and he remembered to open his eyes, it was like color had returned to his world after more than a decade of living in greyscale. Yes, his father was going to prison, but he was going to get his sister back. And he couldn't help but think that if there was some kind of cosmic price being paid here, that it was completely worth it.

He thought that his father would agree with that assessment. Losing his daughter and then his wife had nearly drained the life from the older wizard. Theo believed he'd gladly face Azkaban in exchange for his precious little girl.

"How?" He finally managed to ask.

"It seems she's been under all of our noses for several years now. I haven't done the tests to be certain, I didn't want to do them without her permission, but I assume that her identity was disguised by a cloaking spell presumably cast on her by her kidnappers."

"I'm sorry sir, a cloaking spell?" Theo had never heard of such a think and while he probably could have extrapolated an explanation from the context, he didn't think this was the time to be playing guessing games.

The professor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you familiar with the Fidelius?"

"I think after that business with Sirius Black just about everybody is familiar with the Fidelius."

"Of course," Snape answered quietly, looking almost pained. "The best way I can think to describe it is that a cloaking spell is the human equivalent to the Fidelius. It changes your perception of a person without actually changing their appearance. Unless you've been told who they are, you are unable to recognize them. It covers their identity with magic. It is a much more elegant solution than a glamour charm for hiding a person's identity, as glamours are known to be finicky, and almost always fail in the long term."

"And why would anybody need a spell like that?"

"The same reason you would use a Fidelius for a location: privacy or security. It's not inherently malicious."

"Are you telling me that somebody came forward, somebody who knew about the cloaking spell, and identified Calliope?"

"No, she was injured last night at the Ministry and the force of the curse broke the spell. I recognized her immediately."

"Injured?!" Theo yelped, nearly jumping out of his seat.

"She will be okay, though she is unconscious at the moment. Do you wish to know her identity?"

But Theo knew. It had come to him as soon as Professor Snape had mentioned the Ministry. It was Granger. His sister was Hermione Granger. He didn't know how he knew, but he was certain.

And when he thought about it, she was the only candidate. There had been just three girls with Potter in London; and Weasley and Lovegood were both too young to be Calliope. And then, when he really thought about it, about the girl who was just so enthusiastic about everything she did that she couldn't not be noticed, he realized she looked almost exactly like his mother.

He'd never been so glad that he'd mostly kept to himself since entering Hogwarts. That he hadn't been drawn into Draco's little gang of Gryffindor torturers. Oh, Draco- Merlin, Calliope was going to kill him! He thought he'd rather like to see that. The prat deserved it.

"I'd like to see her please, sir."

"I can take you to the infirmary, you can sit with her until she wakes if you wish. Under the circumstances I don't think Madam Pomfrey will object. I ask that you keep this news to yourself until she is awake though, this could change everything for her and it should be her decision how she dispenses the news."

That brought Theo up short. "I assume she was under a memory charm as well?"

"Yes, I think it is safe to assume so."

"Will she have her memories back now?"

"That I do not know. Whatever was done to her was almost certainly intended to be permanent. But, then again, most people aren't ever exposed to this kind of dark magic and if they are it is rare to survive it. So it's difficult to predict."

What would he do if she didn't remember him? What if she woke up still only thinking of him as the quiet Slytherin she shared classes with who just sat back and let his Housemates bully her? It was like pouring a bucket of cold water over his elation. Still, he couldn't stay away. "Will you take me to her now, please?"

With a simple nod Professor Snape rose and then led Theo out of his office and up to the infirmary. Theo avoided looking at the beds where the rest of Potter's merry band slept. He couldn't decide if what he felt for them was anger, irritation, or begrudging admiration, and he didn't have the energy to examine that at the moment. He was relieved when they stopped in front of the door to one of the private rooms that were usually reserved for contagious or long-term cases. The professor opened the door but allowed Theo to step in first.

And there she was, very small and far too pale for Theo's liking. But it was her, she was right there in front of him and just looking at her caused the gaping wound that had been inflicted on him when his precious twin, the other half of himself, had been ripped away from them, to finally begin to heal.

And that's when he knew that while it would certainly be easier if she got her memories back, it didn't really matter, because he was never letting her go again. He'd been helpless as a child when they'd lost her, too young to even contribute anything to the search for her. He wasn't any longer, and he'd fight with everything he had for his place in her life.

He sat with her for the rest of the day. There was some drama when the headmaster- who have never before deigned to speak to Theo- stopped by and tried to make him leave. But Theo said that if he was forcibly separated from his sister he would write to his godmother and see about getting her transferred to St. Mungo's. Their godmother was, after all, Calliope's acting guardian, considering that their father was unavailable. And nobody was better at kicking up a fuss and getting what she wanted than Narcissa Malfoy.

Dumbledore was obviously interested in keeping Calliope under his thumb. Everybody knew that Harry Potter was perfectly useless without her, and Potter was Dumbledore's golden boy, and therefore the headmaster certainly wouldn't want House Malfoy involved. There was no love lost between the old man and that family.

It was evening before she began to stir. He alerted Madam Pomfrey who, unfortunately, alerted Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. The last was the only one whose presence didn't irk Theo. Though he had to admit that Calliope might appreciate having her own Head of House present when she woke. It seemed like it took a long time, but when she finally opened her cinnamon eyes- a shade he was sure was unique only to her- and looked directly at him it was worth every second of anticipation.

"Teddy," she said, her voice raspy but perfectly clear.

His heart exploded in his chest. Nobody had called him that in ten years. After his mother died he couldn't stand to hear it and insisted on being called Theodore which, somewhere along the way, had been shortened to Theo. It was like getting another piece of himself back.

"Hi Twin," he managed, throat suspiciously thick.

She struggled, trying to reach for him, and as wary as he was of hurting her, he also couldn't deny her. He lunged forward and carefully enfolded her in his arms. She pressed her face against his neck and he breathed in her hair; beneath the smell of sweat and hospital was one he would never forget: Calliope. They held each other for several minutes before she began looking around fretfully and he was trying to decide what to say to her when she spoke again.

"Where's my Dragon?" She asked.

"What?" He responded, a little dumbfounded that she'd be looking for Draco.

She pulled back slightly to look at him. "My Dragon," she enunciated slowly, like he was stupid. "Where is he? He should be here, Teddy," she said firmly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Is she referring to Mr. Malfoy?" Theo heard McGonagall murmur.

Professor Snape actually chuckled. "Yes," he confirmed.

"I didn't think you would want him here, you two don't exactly get along these days, so I didn't tell him," Theo explained.

"Not everything is as it seems," she answered cryptically, "go get him Twin, right now!" She demanded imperiously.

"Miss Granger, I'm not certain that's a good idea," Dumbledore interrupted.

He watched Calliope's eyes harden and her nostrils flare when she turned to look at the headmaster. "I want to see him. He is my betrothed, you cannot keep him from me," she said with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest, but then she deflated slightly and suddenly looked very vulnerable. She glanced back at Theo, "he is still my betrothed, isn't he?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes," he reassured her automatically, "nobody would dare annul that contract, it would have felt like giving up on getting you back."

In the blink of an eye she was back to being a demanding little princess.

"Well. Go. Get. Him." she said, pointing a finger for emphasis.

He grinned to himself and didn't ask the professors' permission, just hopped up off the bed and headed towards the door. While a small part of him was resentful that he wasn't going to get to keep her for himself for a while longer, he was too happy to really be bothered and he certainly couldn't fathom denying her such a simple request. He practically jogged to the dungeons with a very wide and un-Slytherin-like grin on his face.

Draco was easily found in the common room, ostensibly holding court surrounded by Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson, with not a care in the world, but Theo had known him since he was born and he could see the distress he was trying to hide.

"Malfoy!" He called, "I need to talk to you."

Draco didn't even look at him, just sneered in his direction. "Sod off Nott."

Ten years of barely speaking to each other meant that he shouldn't have expected anything less, and normally he would have sneered back. But he'd been riding a wonderful high and he wouldn't have Draco ruin it. So he decided to mess with him a little instead.

"Our Calla Lily has requested an audience with her Dragon and I'm not in the business of refusing her, but if you don't want to see her-"

Before he could really register the movement Draco had him pinned against the wall, a hand gripping his neck. He wasn't particularly intimidated by his old friend, but he did absently wonder when he'd gotten so tall.

"What kind of sick joke are you trying to pull?" Draco hissed.

Theo narrowed his eyes. "You think I would joke about this?"

Draco considered this for only a moment before his gray eyes went wide with shock and he stumbled backwards.

"I told you we needed to talk, let's go to my room," Theo said, pushing the other wizard ahead of him.

When they got to Theo's room Draco walked inside and practically fell onto the bed.

"Calla's here, she's, I mean, they found her? How? Where?" He stuttered.

"She's been here the whole time," Theo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, this was all still sinking in. "We've just known her as Hermione Granger. She was injured in the Ministry and it broke through the magic hiding her identity and blocking her memory."

He expected some sign of despair from Draco, given how he'd treated Hermione Granger from the moment he met her. But all the other wizard did was sit up straight on the bed and demand to be taken to Calliope in a way that was eerily reminiscent of the witch in question demanding that he be brought to her.

Theo held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay, okay, lets go. I've away from her long enough fetching your stupid arse." He easily dodged the half hearted punch Draco threw in his direction.

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the fantastic response to this story so far, I can't tell you how grateful I am. I doubt I'll be able to keep up this rate of updates. However, I'm trying to bring all of the main players onto the scene before I slow down at least and your encouragement is so motivating! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Draco felt like he'd just been dosed with some kind of extra strength pepper-up potion on top of a cheering draught. From the depths of despair to the highest of highs in moments. He was going to get his soul-mate back.

And this explained several things that he'd been agonizing over for years: why he'd always been drawn to Granger; why he felt the need to protect her; why it actually hurt to treat her the way that he was _supposed_ to treat mudbloods. His brain hadn't been able to recognize her, but somewhere deep down in his heart and his soul he'd known: she belonged with him.

He felt both better and worse about the amount of times he'd fantasized about her. Because she wasn't the forbidden creature he'd believed her to be. He wasn't betraying his family by wanting her. However, she was _Calliope,_ the most special witch in the world. He was supposed to treat her like a queen, not like a Playwizard centerfold.

He still remembered the last time he'd seen Calliope like it was yesterday, even though they'd only been a mere four and five years old, respectively, at the time. He'd cried himself to sleep over the memory for weeks. He'd missed her so badly.

As he reminisced, it occurred to him that he could finally fulfill the promise he made to her on that last day. He stopped Theo at the entrance to the boys' dorms and ran back to his room to retrieve one of the two stuffed animals in his trunk and then, on second thought, he grabbed the second one as well.

They walked quickly to the infirmary, chatting easily like they had as boys. Draco didn't even notice the looks he was getting for striding down the halls of a school where he'd carefully cultivated a bad-boy-don't-mess-with-me reputation while clutching two dragon toys to his chest like they were infants. He wouldn't have cared if he had noticed.

"You should have seen her," Theo bragged, "my sister had been unconscious all day and she just opened her eyes, looked straight at me and called me 'Teddy,' and then completely ignored all the professors in the room and she was all: 'where's my Dragon, he should be here, go get him now!' Old Dumbledore tried to interrupt and she practically attacked him: 'he's my betrothed, you can't keep him from me' she was magnificent, her magic was crackling all around her," he chuckled fondly.

Draco stopped in his tracks. "She said that? She called me her betrothed?"

Theo nodded. "She even got upset when she realized the contract could have been annulled in the time she's been gone."

"I would never have let that happen," Draco said fiercely.

"I told her that none of us would have, that it would have been akin to giving up on her."

"Why didn't you tell me about her earlier? Why did she have to force you to come get me?" He asked, a hint of a threat in his voice.

"I was under the impression that the two of you hated each other, I didn't want her to wake up and see you. But she said that everything isn't as it seems. Care to explain what she meant by that?" Theo asked, arching one eyebrow in a manner that reminded Draco of Calla and Aunt Daisy both. It was an expression he hadn't seen in ten years.

Draco considered that for a moment, trying to decide how much he was comfortable sharing with Theo. He'd always thought that their interactions would be their unspoken mutual secret, just his and Granger's.

Only she would know about the hours he'd spent in the library during their second year when a beast had haunted the halls of Hogwarts attacking muggleborns, and he'd been so incomprehensibly worried about her safety that he'd take it upon himself to solve the mystery. Only she would know that he'd succeeded, that he'd identified the monster and left her the page of the book where it was described tucked in her school bag as a warning.

Only she would understand that his mad dash across the campsite after the World Cup was for the purposes of warning her about the danger she was in. That he had not just been trying to taunt her.

Only she would quietly accept his hissed warnings between bookshelves in the library that Umbridge was dangerous, and she'd do best not to incite the vicious woman's ire. And then, when she ignored those, his willingness to tell her about the Inquisitorial Squad's patrols so that she and her little group of rebels could avoid detection without question. Those things were just supposed to be between them, because they didn't have anything else.

They couldn't be friends, it was far too dangerous. As much as he may have wished it, as much as he may have yearned for more than that, it wasn't to be. But what little they'd had, had still been precious to him, as pathetic as that seemed.

And even now that it appeared that he and Calliope could have everything, he wasn't sure he was ready to share what they'd been through together with Theo; even as paltry as it may have been. So, he changed the subject. It wasn't subtle but he knew his fellow Slytherin would understand and move on.

"Our fathers could have killed her last night," Draco said, briefly closing his eyes at the thought.

"I know," Theo responded, his voice as serious as Draco had ever heard it, "and I'm furious, I think… it's hard to decide what to think."

"I know what you mean."

He sighed. "And I'm definitely not sure what comes next. I mean, we can't exactly expect Calla to just be okay with all of this."

"Stupid Potter, dragging her into it," Draco spat bitterly.

Theo looked at him sharply. "There were twelve Death Eaters there, Draco, against six kids. They may not have known who she was, but they knew she was the same age as their own children. He may be a reckless Gryffindor but you can hardly blame Potter for that."

Draco deflated. He really, really didn't like Harry Potter, but he knew Calliope/Granger well enough to know that nobody _dragged _her anywhere. On top of which, his father's actions were his own and they were difficult, if not impossible to defend. He couldn't blame Potter for that, as appealing as the idea may have been.

He also couldn't deny that the only thing that had happened since the Dark Lord's return a year ago was that he'd become continually more and more disillusioned with the so-called Cause. Malfoys- and for that matter Notts- were like wizarding royalty, they bowed to no one. So why did their fathers seem to be doing exactly that?

Draco had seen no evidence of glory being heaped upon his family, only his parents' fear. And now his father was on his way to Azkaban because their supposed Lord had sent him on a fool's errand. A fool's errand that had nearly gotten his beloved killed.

And if he wasn't already feeling dubious about his loyalties, there was the memory of his trip home for the Easter holidays. His crazy aunt made him shiver with revulsion and her husband and brother-in-law were worse. And these were the Dark Lord's most faithful and heralded followers. No, there was something very wrong with this picture.

"We're going to have to talk about this," he looked around carefully, "figure out where we stand, but later, with Calla," he said reverently.

Theo nodded solemnly but then he snorted out a laugh and rolled his eyes. "Merlin, you are so gone for her."

Draco narrowed his eyes in the other wizard's direction. "Just because she wasn't here- or at least I didn't know she was here- didn't stop me from loving her." He raked at hand through his hair as he considered his last statement. "Merlin this is confusing."

"Tell me about it," Theo agreed.

"And unlike you," Draco continued, "I've actually been paying quite a lot of attention to Granger for the past five years. I know how extraordinary she is," he snapped, "let's go."

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," Theo singsonged and gave him a look that could only be described as condescending, but fell into step beside him again without another word. Draco resisted the urge to hex him, he didn't want to upset Calla. Together they strode towards the infirmary.

He stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway of the private room where Theo directed them. He barely even heard the stupid Weasel's sputtered outrage at the presence of 'Death Eater Spawn' in the infirmary where, apparently, only do-gooding Gryffindors were welcome. He certainly didn't care, he was just relieved that the idiot seemed unaware of whom they were there to visit. The last thing he wanted at the moment was the redhead's interference. But as he regarded the closed door he was suddenly filled with trepidation.

"Well I'm not going to keep her waiting," Theo groused, and unceremoniously threw the door open.

His eyes went to her small form automatically. She was perched in the middle of a standard infirmary bed, covers bunched around her, and an angry look on her face. It was the same way he'd often caught her scowling at Umbridge over the course of this year- he secretly found it adorable. He followed her line of sight to discover that it was Dumbledore she was glaring at so fiercely. He often found Dumbledore to be just as trying as Umbridge, at least that witch's motives had been utterly transparent which made her much easier to deal with. However, he never thought he'd see Granger looking at the headmaster that way. He couldn't help it, he chuckled.

Her head snapped around and she met his eyes and his heart crashed in his chest. How had he not recognized those eyes?

"Hi," she breathed, looking down and toying with the edge of the sheet that covered her lap.

"Calliope," he greeted in return, trying not to stumble embarrassingly over the syllables of her name. "Or Granger?" He asked, on second thought, he didn't want to start off on the wrong foot by making assumptions. She had been Hermione Granger for a long time, after all.

She raised her head again and smiled sadly, "we're both in here now," she tapped her temple. "But I assume you would both prefer to call me Calliope," she gaze drifted between himself and Theo, who was still standing next to him, "and that's fine."

He nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she answered very quietly, her entire demeanor was uncertain and Draco didn't like it at all. He'd never seen her- as Calla or Granger- anything other than confident and self-assured.

"Well this isn't at all uncomfortable," Theo drawled. Draco could practically feel him rolling his eyes as he pushed past him and rounded the bed, settling himself next to his sister. She automatically reached out to take his hand.

Draco huffed. He'd forgotten what a snarky bastard the other wizard could be considering that he'd mostly kept to himself since they'd started Hogwarts. As they got situated Draco glanced uncomfortably at the three professors in the room, wishing they would leave, but knowing he wouldn't get that lucky. Dumbledore and McGonagall probably didn't trust him and Theo with one of their Gryffindors, and if they were going to stick around he knew he might end up needing Snape's support. So, he resolved to ignore them and turned his attention back to Calla.

She was as beautiful as she'd ever been, but she didn't look well. He'd noticed, of course, how tired he had been lately as she'd immersed herself in studying for O.W.L.s but that was no less than what he'd expected from Granger. But now she wasn't simply worn out, she looked ill. She was so pale her skin almost appeared translucent- and that was saying something coming from somebody with Draco's complexion- there were bags under her eyes, and her hair was dull and depressingly lifeless. And then he caught a peak of what appeared to be quite a large bandage covering her chest, and his breath hitched. He swayed on his feet and had to catch himself on the door jamb as the facts that he'd known intellectually truly sunk in.

Merlin. She really could have died and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. But that didn't keep him from feeling like there was something he _should_ have done.

"I didn't know!" He blurted. "I swear I didn't know!"

Her eyes snapped to his. "Know what?"

"What they had planned at the Ministry. I didn't even know that there _was_ a plan. If I had I would have warned you, and I'm not just saying that because I know you're Calliope now. Even when you were just Hermione Granger I never wanted to see you hurt."

"Oh," she gasped, "I know that, don't you think I know that? I felt it too, ever since we met on the train," she touched her hand to her chest, just over her heart.

He choked on a sob and she extended her free arm to him. He hesitated, not wanting to hurt her, but she seemed to read his mind.

"Don't worry, I have to take a boatload of potions and Professor Snape assures me that I'll be quite sore for awhile, but I'm in one piece, you won't break me," she explained, and waved him towards her. "Please come here, it's been far too long since I hugged you."

He had never been _overcome,_ as such, in his life. Salazar himself was probably rolling in his grave, but without another thought he was closing the space between them, planting himself on the edge of her bed and gathering her into his arms and all the way onto his lap. He buried his face into her hair and inhaled deeply. She stroked his face and ran a hand through his hair and he'd never felt anything so wonderful.

Holding her, he was at peace, settled and whole. He remembered feeling like this. He remembered throwing tantrums, clinging to her when their parents tried to separate them as toddlers. Neither of them had been able to understand why anybody would take them away from each other, from where they belonged. It was the reason they'd been blood bound and betrothed at the tender age of three, so that their magic would settle and allow them to separate and return to their own homes at the end of each day until they were old enough to make their own decision to bind themselves together for life.

As he approached his coming of age his magic had already begun to feel itchy, it was unsettled without her. He wondered what would have happened if she hadn't been identified. Or if he'd ever found the courage to touch her when she'd just been Hermione Granger. He didn't think he could have denied this feeling.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" He heard Theo mutter.

"Not now Teddy," she chided quietly and turned her attention back to Draco. "My Dragon," she crooned into the skin of his neck, he shuddered with the pleasure of it.

She pulled back, she was still beaming at him.

"Twin," she said looking up at her brother. She released his hand and looped her arm around his neck then she settled against Draco's chest so that they were basically in a three way embrace. But Draco didn't feel at all uncomfortable about it and one glance at Theo told him he felt the same way. Calla pulled the stuffed dragons from where they had become caught between them and looked back to Draco.

"You've brought me Daffy, thank you," she said squeezing the purple toy, thanking him with such sincerity, and for such a simple thing, that he thought he might lose it completely and start crying, "and Duke too," she added, placing a kiss on the green toy's snout.

"You asked me to take care of her," he said simply, "I've been waiting ten years to get her back to you. And it seemed wrong to separate them."

Four year old Draco had taken her request to look after her beloved Daffodil while she was out with their mothers very seriously. He'd never reneged on that promise. He had kept her with him or amongst his own most beloved possessions always, and he had faithfully brought the stuffed animal to Hogwarts every year, along with his own Green Welsh look alike who was called Duke, because Calla would not have wanted them to be left behind. He'd risked a teenage boy's greatest fear- the censure of his peers- to keep that promise to her.

"I suppose I have both of my dragons back," she said, hugging the toys to her chest, but gazing at Draco rather shyly.

And he knew that risk of censure had been worth it, a thousand times over, for this one moment.

"I've missed you," he admitted breathily.

She cocked her head at him, obviously analyzing. "But you've been there for me, as best you could. You've been protecting me. Thank you, Draco."

He loved hearing her use the nickname that only she, and occasionally his mother, could get away with, but there was something about hearing her use his given name for the first time in a decade that finally broke the floodgates. Wonderful girl that she was she just guided his face back to the crook of her neck and let him weep.

He could feel Theo similarly losing his composure and giving into his emotions. And for the first time since he was a small child he didn't consider it to be a weakness.

Calla made soothing noises until they started to calm down and then she spoke: "I'm here now boys. I won't let them take me from you again."


	5. Chapter 5

**You might want to consider rereading the last couple of chapters before you tackle this one, or at least be aware that there is considerable overlap. Now, without further ado, we hear from Hermione...**

* * *

Chapter 5

Hermione was so bursting with emotions; it would have been impossible for her to pin one down. She'd awoken slowly, her brain foggy and her body heavy. It was confusing and it made her feel vulnerable. But the moment she opened her eyes and saw the boy sitting in the chair next to her bed, clasping one of her hands between his, it was like a veil had been lifted.

_Teddy._

Her brother's face lit up when she spoke his name. She all but threw herself at him. He held her, his embrace was both familiar and heartbreakingly foreign. He had grown up.

But she relished in it and it took her a few minutes to realize that there was something- _somebody_\- very important missing. And the little girl who had just been awoken inside of her, the same person and yet so different from Hermione Granger, was simply not having it.

She had enough presence of mind to feel a twinge of guilt for essentially dismissing her brother as she watched him hop up to go do her bidding and go fetch Draco. But she knew he wouldn't hold it against her. That simply wasn't their way.

It wasn't until he disappeared out the door that she remembered- this time with a crushing amount of guilt- the other people in her life who deserved her consideration. She knew she had been cursed in the Ministry, but she remembered nothing that had come after. For all she knew her friends could be dead. She swallowed thickly and tried to prepare herself to ask the question.

She hadn't expected it to be like pulling teeth to get any answers. The headmaster would only inform her that all of her friends had survived, receiving only minor injuries. But then he brushed off her request for more details and instead tried to talk her into denying her identity, into publicly turning away from Teddy and Draco. He insisted that it was vital to Harry, to the cause, that she pretended that she was somebody she wasn't.

It was like he didn't even hear her when she told him repeatedly that was never going to happen. She'd give up magic before she voluntarily turned her back on Teddy and Draco. She was highly disappointed when Professor McGonagall merely deferred to Dumbledore.

It was Professor Snape who finally interrupted the headmaster's speech about the greater good and started to tell her about what had happened the night before at the Ministry. She was saddened- especially for Harry's sake- that Sirius had been killed, but she secretly wasn't all that surprised. While she liked him and believed he meant well, the man had a reckless streak a mile wide which he hadn't seemed to have any interest in curtailing. In her opinion he'd been living on borrowed time.

She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her father and Uncle Lucius were on their way to Azkaban. She couldn't even begin to unpack how she felt about them, the conflicting emotions were too much at the moment, so she determined to set that aside to think about later, when she heard the boys returning, sounding far more boisterous than their normal stoic Slytherin selves.

Apparently Professor Dumbledore heard them too because he immediately began trying to talk her into hiding her real identity again. She had just decided that she was going to punch him in his stupid face and make his crooked nose even more crooked if he suggested that she abandon her family one more time, when the door flew open.

And so she hadn't at all prepared herself for seeing Draco before she heard him chuckle and turned her head to see him standing in front of her, a smirk of amusement on his handsome face. She dropped her eyes and fought back a blush, she was not going to be one of those girls. She never had been. Despite the unfortunate and rather inappropriate crush she'd been harboring on this boy, she'd always been able to hold her own against him.

Seeing Teddy again had been like coming home: easy and welcoming. When she'd opened her eyes and seen him she'd known she was safe. Seeing Draco was entirely different. Part of that was because when she looked at Teddy she could easily view him only through Calliope's eyes. To Hermione he had just been a background character in her Hogwarts story. Whereas looking at Draco kind of made her feel like she had multiple personality disorder.

Calliope had adored Draco almost beyond all reason- literally, she'd done some truly unreasonable things to keep from being separated from him. Her feelings for him had been pure and unquestioned. But to Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy was a conundrum.

She had been drawn to him right from the beginning, her heart had wanted to be near him no matter how cruel he was, which was probably why they had so many run-ins during their first two years at Hogwarts. She couldn't make herself just walk away from him. And because she watched him so closely, she realized he was not the two dimensional figure he tried to project to the world. Oh, he was a bully and a snob, but that wasn't all he was. When he started doing things for her, little kindnesses when nobody else was looking, she began to wonder if he was as confused about her as she was him.

For the past three years he had been alternatively infuriating and enthralling to her. And it didn't help matters that he'd taken a turn for the ridiculously handsome. And now here he stood: hers all along.

So when he confessed that he hadn't known what was happening at the Ministry, when he swore he would have warned her if he had, with a pleading look in his eyes, like he was begging for absolution, the wall between Calliope's Draco and Hermione's Draco came crashing down. She automatically reached for him like she had so often as a little girl.

Hermione clasped Teddy and Draco to her and wondered idly how she'd soldiered on without them. She'd certainly missed them desperately. She didn't know exactly what had been done to her, but she remembered enough now to suspect kidnapping followed by memory alteration. Whatever it was, she wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy.

Because she'd forgotten them completely. Every detail of who they were and everything they'd experienced together was gone, but it couldn't erase her love for them. Every day since she was five years old she'd loved and longed for people she had no memory of. And at the center of that group had been these two boys, young men now, who had been so essential to her being that she was no longer sure how she had survived without them. And that made it easy as breathing to swear that she would never allow herself to be taken from them again.

However, that promise caused something else to click in her brain, one of the very few things Hermione Granger had known about Theodore Nott: he'd lost his mother at a young age. Which meant that her mother was dead.

The wonderful, beautiful witch she'd so adored and admired was gone. Not just erased from her memory but irrevocably gone. It almost didn't seem possible, her mother was a force to be reckoned with. She leaned into her boys for comfort as a wave of despair washed over her.

"Mother," she sobbed, and she felt their arms tighten around her, shifting from comfortees to comforters, and she lost herself to her grief, knowing she was safe with them.

She could have remained, cocooned in their embrace for hours but a voice interrupted them.

"I need to have a private word with Miss Granger and then she needs her rest. You gentlemen should return to your common room."

Dumbledore. Was he really going to be that cruel and take them away from her? Apparently that was a step too far for her Head of House too.

"What's the matter with you Albus? Can't you see they're grieving?" The Scottish professor snapped. "There is no reason Mr. Nott and Mr. Malfoy can't remain with- I'm sorry dear do you prefer Granger or Nott?" McGonagall asked kindly.

She could have hugged the woman. Instead she just hiccuped and cleaned her face with the handkerchief one of the boys had slipped into her hand.

"I'm not sure," she said, feeling a little lost, "either is fine, I guess."

"Alright Miss Granger, there is no reason for us to be here anymore, but is there anything that you need?"

"I don't think so, but thank you ma'am," she sniffed, then she turned back to the headmaster, deciding she was going to nip this in the bud. "Professor you've made your opinions known, but I'll not be changing my mind. You heard what I said, I'd rather cut off my own arm than be separated from Draco and Teddy again. Not by you, not by anybody.

"I really must insist…"

Hermione bit her lip to keep from lashing out completely. "Excuse me sir, but no, you will not be insisting on anything unless it has to do with my school work or my behavior here at Hogwarts. You are my headmaster and nothing more, you have no right to interfere in my personal life and that's the last I'll say about it. If that conflicts with me continued to be treated here in the school I'm sure I can be transferred to St. Mungo's."

But he opened his mouth to speak again when Professor Snape interrupted. "Albus, I've kept quiet and let you say your piece, but Miss Nott has made her opinion clear. Now you are getting dangerously close to interfering in the business of three Ancient and Noble Houses. You may not care, but I assure you that the Wizengamot will and you were just reinstated into your various positions."

"He's right Albus," Professor McGonagall huffed and Hermione watched with some amusement as the witch hustled the older wizard out the door.

Professor Snape went to follow, but then he paused and turned back around. "If the three of you find yourselves in need of anything, feel free to come to me."

Hermione tilted her head this way and that, regarding at her potions teacher who she was also seeing with new eyes. "I know you," she realized out loud, clapping a hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

But his lips tilted upwards in an approximation of a smile. "Yes," he confirmed. "It is gratifying to see you safe...Calliope."

"Thank you, sir."

He gave her a sharp nod, and then looked at Draco. "Write to your Mother, do not imagine that the headmaster has given up."

"Understood sir, thank you."

With that he spun on his heel and left the room.

"Way to go Calla," Teddy murmured, once the three of them were alone, a wicked smile on his face.

"Seriously, that was so hot," Draco added.

Hermione felt her face heat and she shifted away from the boys to sit against the headboard. Because while one part of her felt that these boys were her best friends and closest confidants- the part that had been at the surface when she'd woken up after so many years of being repressed- there was another which considered them to be virtual strangers. As much as she felt connected to them through a bond that no passage of time could sever, there was a large portion of their lives she knew nothing about.

And that made her angry.

"Theodore Aloysius Nott!" She heaved out a breath. "What happened to Mother? I don't even know how my own mother di-died," she stumbled on the word as she choked on a sob.

"It was doxy influenza," Theo said quietly. "She was just so heartbroken after you disappeared and I think she blamed herself, not only were you with her when you were taken, but apparently Father was always trying to get her to take security with her when she went out and she refused. I don't think she had the strength to fight it. Father was never the same afterwards."

"When?"

"I was five and a half."

"Oh God," she muttered to herself.

That was truly awful. Teddy must have felt so abandoned. Whatever had happened to her, whatever had been done to her, had absolutely ripped her family apart. She remembered her parents as a loving couple, a team. She couldn't imagine one without the other.

She certainly couldn't imagine Teddy and their father coping by themselves. And when she considered that, she began to interpret her twin's quiet, withdrawn behavior that she'd witnessed over their years at Hogwarts in a completely different way. She'd just thought he was a loner, but maybe he'd just felt so _alone_ that he'd stopped making an effort. She knew something about that. It had been far easier for her to retreat into books than it was to continue to try to make friends after years of being picked on.

"What happened to me?" She asked desperately, growing more angry all the time as she realized the damage done to the people she loved.

She saw Theo and Draco exchange an uncomfortable look.

"We were hoping you would be able to tell us that. You just disappeared, there was a major investigation but it never really uncovered anything. You don't remember now that your memory's back?" Teddy asked.

She sniffed and shook her head. "I remember shopping with Mother and Aunt Cissa. Then I remember waking up in a room by myself, the only thing I know is that it was in the muggle world because it had electricity. After that, waking up again in a muggle hospital in London. That's it, nothing about anybody grabbing me or anything like that. Though I assume that's what happened."

"And you never saw anybody?" Theo asked gently.

"Not that I remember." She hesitated as she considered that. "I was probably drugged when I was taken, it would explain why there are still holes in my memory. If they'd relied exclusively on memory alteration it should have all come back."

"How did you end up as Hermione Granger? I mean you have parents, I've seen them before," Draco asked.

"Yeah," she breathed, "I do."

So, she told them about the wonderful people who had taken in a traumatized child who might as well have fallen out of the sky. About her childhood in the muggle world, at least as best as she could to two people who were woefully ignorant about it. She assured them that she'd been safe and loved. She tried to explain what it had been like to mourn for a life she couldn't remember, to long for people she didn't know; how she'd tried to build a life around the giant hole that had been blown into it. She told them just about anything that popped into her head, wanting desperately to bridge the gap.

"What about the pair of you?" She eventually asked once she began to feel a tad self-conscious about the amount of time she'd spent talking about herself, "what's been going on in your lives-" she remembered something suddenly, "Oh Merlin, I completely forgot to ask about Lyra! She'll be at Hogwarts next year, right?"

From the look on Draco's face she immediately knew that she'd said something wrong. She glanced at Theo but he just shook his head sadly.

"She was born early and she didn't make it," Draco said vacantly, staring over her left shoulder as he spoke.

Hermione felt her face fall. That was so terrible, so _wrong_. Her mother was heartbreaking enough, but at least she'd gotten to live. Lyra never had a chance. And what made it worse was that Hermione knew this was not the first baby that her godparents had lost; she didn't know any details, just what a child is able to gather from what adults say when they are around but do not believe they will be able to understand. She looked back and forth between the two boys on the bed.

"And we all ended up being raised as only children. It's not fair! It wasn't supposed to be like this, we were always supposed to have each other!" She wailed. "Did anything good happen while I was gone?"

Theo and Draco glanced uneasily at each other in the style of teenage boys everywhere who are uncertain how to deal with a crying girl. It had been one thing when they were all emotional together, but now they appeared to be at loose ends.

"We both made Slytherin," Draco eventually said, a hopeful little smile on his face.

It worked, she burst out laughing.

"I'm really sorry Draco," she said when she finally got control of herself.

He shrugged. "It wasn't like losing you but it was..._sad_. Mother was just devastated and there was nothing I could do about it. Father either, he just locked himself in his study. You were gone, I never saw Theo or Aunt Daisy or Uncle Tahvo. It was lonely."

She wondered how many years he'd felt that way. Something in his voice told her that it hadn't been a fleeting thing. It shed new light on Draco's bullying. Because she knew that he lashed out when he felt ignored, he always had. If he'd felt neglected at home, he'd do anything for attention and to feel in control elsewhere. It also explained what seemed like a nearly pathological need to please his father. Her boys had been through so much, but were written off as pampered princes by most of their world.

And then yet another devastating thought occurred to her.

"You guys aren't even friends, are you? I never see you together, even in class, which makes no sense because you are by far the most talented of your Housemates."

They exchanged another uncomfortable glance and she realized that they were afraid she was going to scold them over this particular point.

"I'm not _mad_ at you, I just think it's terrible. What happened?"

She was probably pressing her luck, asking two sixteen year old boys to talk so much about their emotions. But she'd practically returned from the dead, if she was going to do it, this was the time.

"I think it was too hard for our parents to socialize, it reminded them of all the people who weren't there, but should be. By the time we got to Hogwarts, Draco and I didn't know each other anymore," Theo supplied.

"Calla," Draco added with a sigh, "the thing is that it was never the two of us, just me and Theo. It was always the three of us. You said something about feeling like a hole had been blown in your life. Well, I can't speak for Theo, but it felt the same way for me. Except I knew what that hole was, and being around Theo without you just made me miss you more."

She nodded absentmindedly, that all made sense, though it was still tragic. But she was caught up on one thing, and that was the way her childhood nickname rolled off of Draco's tongue. She tore her eyes away from his mouth before she could be caught staring.

"Calla, huh?" She asked.

Her eyes were drawn right back to his lips at the beatific smile that overtook his face. "I've really missed saying that."

They smiled at each other until Theo cleared his throat, and she looked away, embarrassed. "What happens now?" She wondered.

Theo glanced at Draco. "Professor Snape is right, we should write to Aunt Cissa. She deserves to know about you, and we need adult back up. She's our legal guardian since we aren't of age yet."

"I remember," she answered quietly.

"And then, if it's okay with you, I'd really like to stay here with you tonight, I don't think I could get to sleep in my dorm."

"I'd like that," she smiled shyly.

"Me too," Draco interrupted. "In a separate bed, of course. I'm not sleeping with both of you," he smirked.

She looked up in surprise. "Is that allowed?"

He nodded. "We should make sure you know the betrothal protocols, I don't know how much you'd learned at five. But anyway, ours is a matter of record, it would be easier for them to keep Theo away from you than it would be me. You're under the protection of my House and you've been injured, it's actually my duty to stay. I kind of l can't believe that Dumbledore didn't think I would know that. They're old rules but they're still valid."

Hermione wrinkled her nose thinking that sounded terribly patriarchal. But a voice in her head which sounded surprisingly like her mother urged her to respect the old ways. Or- Hermione's own voice added- at least not to jump to conclusions before she really understood, because when it came down to it she trusted both Teddy and Draco and wanted nothing more than for them to stay with her. "Oh, okay then. Yes, I think I'd like that too."

She hooked an arm around each of their necks and smirked to herself as something occurred to her. "Now that we're together again, Hogwarts won't know what hit it."

"Merlin, I've missed you," Draco muttered.

Teddy just laughed.

**Author's Note: If you think Hermione is pretty much all over the place and that she's handling things in fits and starts, and also that there are many things the three of them haven't considered, much less talked about, well that's intentional. They'll work through it all...eventually, but this was the most realistic way I could think to depict them processing a revelation of this magnitude. I just had some questions about their reactions so I wanted to address them sort of generally so that I don't spoil you. Guys, thanks so much, you are making this an absolute joy to write with all of your support! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Interlude: Summer 1984

_Calliope was perched on her father's lap at his desk in his study. He was working and she had been making a card for her mother's birthday. He helped her spell out the words, and write them neatly, but she did all of the colouring. When she eventually got it perfect she decided that she didn't want to leave just yet. Being inside her father's study was a special privilege, especially when he was working, and it was even rarer to have him all to herself._

_So she just sat back against his chest and watched him scribble in a series of ledgers spread out on his desk. She knew that he had important business to attend to, but she was certain that if she was quiet and behaved herself he wouldn't make her leave. Eventually, his familiar scent- which to her was just 'Father'- and the rhythmic scraping of quill against parchment lulled her to sleep. _

_The sound of the floo coming to life roused her some time later, but she was so relaxed and content that she couldn't be bothered to open her eyes. _

"_Lucius," her father greeted, " Have a seat. I'd get up but…"_

_Her Uncle Lucius. She definitely wasn't going to open her eyes now, she wanted to stay here with them and not be sent away._

_Her godfather chuckled. "I understand. She looks comfortable." _

"_She's too stubborn to willingly nap anymore. Daisy would kill me if I woke her before she's ready." _

"_I know what you mean. Draco's a terror if you wake him."_

_There was a pause. "Have a seat. Is there something I can do for you? I assume you didn't come to watch my daughter sleep." _

"_No," he answered, then Calliope heard a thumping sound that Calliope recognized as her godfather tapping his walking stick against the floor. "I am...concerned."_

_Her father sighed. "You're going to need to be more specific." _

"_There are several issues, but it all comes down to the face that I think it may have been a mistake to publicize Draco and Calliope's betrothal."_

_Calliope bristled, rubbing her cheek against her father's linen shirt and he rubbed her back soothingly. But why would her godfather say that, was he not proud that she was Draco's betrothed._

"_That's how these things are done, the impending joining of our Houses is something to be celebrated," Father answered patiently. _

"_I'm aware of that, but we could have chosen to celebrate privately," her godfather growled in a voice she'd never heard before. She didn't like it at all. "But it's put a target on their backs, an even bigger one than already existed." _

"_The alliance of our Houses is not a secret, Lucius. It's existed for generations." _

"_A political alliance has existed for generations, sometimes it was stronger than others. "But there's never been a marriage between a Malfoy and a Nott, the alliance has never been sealed with blood. Narcissa and Marguerite's friendship is well known, it's generally accepted that our Houses have grown closer because of it and many people believe we betrothed our children at their request. But we can't keep the children sequestered in our estates forever. They'll go to Hogwarts and it will become clear how close they are, that Draco and Calliope's betrothal isn't just a contract, that they have a powerful magical connection and would do anything for each other. And as Theodore is completely devoted to his twin, so in turn Draco is completely loyal to him."_

"_You're worried that somebody will try to sabotage the relationship before they can grow old enough to become a threat?"_

"_I think we're talking about the future of three Ancient and Noble houses- because we both know it's only a matter of time before Black succumbs to the conditions in Azkaban- in the hands of three children who are as of yet unable to defend themselves. It's plain to see they are going to be a force to be reckoned with one day, so yes, I worry what may happen when others begin to realize it as well." _

"_Have you discussed these concerns with your father?"_

"_You're neither blind nor a fool, Tahvo. You are well aware that while Father values Draco as his heir, he has no grandfatherly affection for him. He would simply brush off my concerns. He finds my love for my family to be a weakness." _

_Calliope really, really didn't like Draco's grandfather. He frightened her and she hated that her Dragon had to live in the same house as him, but at least he usually kept to his wing and she rarely saw him. In fact, she knew it was wrong to think it, but knowing Draco's grandparents actually made her glad she didn't have any of her own. His Grandmother and Grandfather Black were so stiff and formal that she was uncomfortable around them even when she was on her very best behavior. _

_Her father snorted. "I think your father would cut off his nose to spite his face."_

_Uncle Lucius made a sound of agreement._

"_And Narcissa, have you spoken to her?" Father continued._

"_I don't want to worry her when I have nothing solid, especially in her condition."_

"_I'll not say anything to Daisy then, because what one knows so does the other. We shall just be vigilant." _

_There was a long pause._

"_Were you aware that the Order of the Phoenix has not disbanded but is, in fact, actively recruiting?" Her godfather finally asked. "Arthur Weasley is not subtle, I actually overheard him talking about it inside the Ministry."_

"_Not that they were recruiting, I was actually under the impression Dumbledore preferred to keep his circle small. I wasn't aware that the Weasleys were involved with the Order. And I have a hard time imagining that man harming a child, he has- how many?"_

"_Seven, they finally got a girl and had the decency to stop. And they weren't, but his wife's brothers were and they were killed before the Dark Lord fell, if I were Dumbledore I'd start recruiting amongst those personally affected by the war, so I'm not surprised he courted them._

"_You think the Order is a threat?"_

"_I think there are members that certainly are and I think it's meaningful that they're recruiting. Moody is a fanatic who isn't opposed to getting his hands dirty, especially for somebody who considers himself to be a light wizard. And you know he despises us both."_

_Her father sighed and gathered her closer. Calliope kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She didn't exactly understand what they were talking about, but she knew it wasn't good, and that she shouldn't have overheard it. So she determined to pretend that she hadn't. _

_And it was okay, her father and her godfather were on the case, and they would never allow anything to happen to her or Draco or Teddy. And with that reassuring thought and the continued hum of the voices of the two men she trusted most in the world, she drifted back to sleep in her father's arms. _

_He woke her by calling her name and gently patting her cheek. "Calla-girl."_

"_Papa?" She muttered sleepily._

"_It's almost time for dinner. The Malfoys are here."_

_Her eyes flew open. "My Dragon is here?!" She leapt off his lap and straightened her dress before catching sight of her Uncle Lucius standing in front of the desk- she'd forgotten he was here. She ran around the desk and stood in front of him, her hands clasped primly in front of her. "Hello Uncle Lucius."_

"_Calliope," he took one of her hands and kissed the back it like he would with a grown up witch, winking at her as he straightened back up. She giggled and lunged forward, hugging him around the waist and he placed a hand on her head. "Hmmm, I do believe you've grown over this past week."_

"_Probably, Mother says I'm getting bigger all the time." _

"_Not too big, not too fast. It's going to be many years before I'm prepared to hand you over to your Dragon," her father grumbled. He liked to joke that Draco was stealing her away, but she knew better, because everybody knew that they belonged together, they'd had a special ceremony and everything._

"_Come on!" She called, skipping out the door._

"_Calliope, slow down," he said firmly._

_She stopped and turned around. "I know how I'm supposed to behave in public, but it's just family tonight," she argued._

_He sighed and shook his head, but she knew the look in his eyes, he wasn't really upset with her. She ran back to them and took one of each of their hands and swung herself between them all the way to the dining room. _

_She didn't see her father and her godfather glancing at each other over her shoulders, nor did she notice the way that they protectively clasped her hands before they let her go to greet the rest of the family. _

_And she would not think of it again for more than ten years. _

**Author's Note: I have a tradition which, admittedly, might have turned into a superstition. When one of my stories attains 1k followers on this site, I post a bonus chapter. This is that chapter for this fic. This tactic has never served me wrong. I've liked everything I have added to my fics because of it, and I truly think that they are better as a result, so that's another thank you that I owe to you readers! Thank you so much, truly, your support continues to awe me. The next chapter will be out- at the latest- tomorrow. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It had been one of the most trying days of Narcissa's life. Only the days she lost her goddaughter, daughter, and best friend had been worse, and she did her best to forget that those days had ever happened. And at least then she'd had Lucius to lean on and a son to hold to comfort her.

She was all alone when aurors arrived at the crack of dawn, demanding entry to her home to inform her that her husband had been arrested, and then nearly tear the place apart looking for Dark objects. It had been frightening and humiliating. Then Bellatrix had appeared and raged at her over what she believed was Lucius's failure at the Ministry, and for the first time Narcissa felt truly afraid of her sister.

She spent the rest of the day trying to plan for what came next, should she take Draco and run? Try and ride it out? Her clever mind was failing her and she cursed herself as she realized she'd come to depend too much on Lucius over the years. And so, when her son's owl arrived in the middle of the night her hands were shaking as she opened the letter. What else could have gone wrong?

She had to read it three times- and it was not a short note- before she believed it. It was written by her son in uncharacteristically untidy scrawl which demonstrated his urgency, but it was signed by him as well as her godchildren. Both of her godchildren. Her heart raced and her palms began to sweat as that reality sunk in.

Calliope was with Draco and Theodore. She was safe now, and Narcissa knew both boys would literally rather die than allow further harm to come to her. But if she understood events correctly, Lucius or even Tahvo could easily have killed her. As it was Calliope had still been gravely injured. The combination of elation and despair was almost too much for Narcissa to bear.

Hermione Granger. Their Calliope had been right there at Hogwarts all this time. Now Draco's badly disguised fascination with the girl made sense. Narcissa had assumed he had just been drawn to her as something forbidden, a little bit of teenage rebellion. She'd assured Lucius that he'd grow out of it. But obviously it had actually been because of their bond which had been incredibly strong even when they were just toddlers.

Despite the terrible nature of the way Calliope's identity had been revealed, Narcissa had to admit they were lucky it happened when it did. Because their bond wouldn't be denied, and as they approached their coming of age it might literally have driven them mad to be so close to each other but to not be together. Or, the draw might have been so strong that they wouldn't have been able to stay apart; despite how illicit any relationship between them would have been.

She shuddered at the idea of Draco entering a relationship with a muggleborn in the current political climate. The Dark Lord would have shown no mercy. He would likely have made an example of her son; at best they might have managed to run away together and Narcissa may never have seen her only child again.

This thought finally had her losing her composure and she cried, for all of them. For what they had lost. For their suffering, for the fear that increased every day. And to release some of the anger that was simmering inside of her. When she got Lucius back, _if_ she got him back, she was going to make love to him, and then kill him.

She gave herself an hour to wallow in her emotions. She was relieved for the first time that day that she was alone and wouldn't have to explain herself, even to Lucius. But when that hour was over she dried her eyes, straightened her spine and went to the desk in her sitting room where she handled her correspondence and her other business as Mistress of the Manor. She had things to attend to that really couldn't wait. She owed it to her son, her godchildren, and her much mourned friend to be strong.

The next morning she dressed with great care, forced herself to eat her normal breakfast, and apparated to Diagon Alley along with her personal elf, Moxie. It went against all of her motherly instincts not to pop to Hogwarts immediately and gather the children in her arms where she could assure herself that they were safe, but she knew that she had arrangements to make first. She had to make certain that nobody could interfere with her claiming the guardianship of her godchildren.

The first thing she did when she reached the Alley was head to Gringotts to pick up the piece of jewelry for Calliope which Draco had requested she bring to Hogwarts in his letter, and also to withdraw some gold. Something she would be doing on a regular basis from now on as she was determined to have as many resources as possible available on hand as a precaution, given how precarious their situation was at the moment.

The goblins were as curt as ever, but not more so than usual. By contrast, many of the witches and wizards in the Alley sneered in her direction and she wondered how many stores would refuse her service. For a woman who had been doted on and catered to her entire life it was more than a little disconcerting, but she was intelligent enough to have expected it and would not allow herself to flinch in the face of their disgust.

After Gringotts she visited their solicitor, thankful beyond measure that when the children had been small she, Lucius, Daisy, and Tahvo had made extensive plans for the care of their respective children in the event that something happened to any of them. Theodore and Calliope would turn seventeen in early September and would no longer require a guardian, but she wouldn't allow them to come under the control of the Ministry for even those few months.

Finally, she made her way to Hogwarts, quickening her pace as she passed through the gates, her patience having been exhausted. Dumbledore intercepted her in the Entrance Hall, presumably because the solicitor had flooed ahead to inform him that she would be arriving and taking guardianship of two of his students.

"Lady Malfoy, I strongly advise you against this course of action," he said without bothering with a proper greeting.

She sighed and straightened her spine, Dumbledore was old but that didn't detract from the fact that he was both physically and- especially- magically intimidating. "I appreciate your advice, but my mind is made up. Theodore and Calliope are my responsibility. Their parents were very clear about their wishes."

"Miss Granger has been living with her muggle parents for most of her life, she should return to them, or to the Order. Think of the danger you'll be putting her in if she stays with you."

Narcissa knew that he was trying to appear reasonable, but there was an edge to his voice that unnerved her.

"She was just gravely injured while under your care and you failed to inform me. Excuse me if I don't trust you to have her best interests at heart. I will, of course, take Calliope's opinion into consideration, but yours simply doesn't mean that much to me, Headmaster. Now, if you'll excuse me I have children to see." And with that she strode off towards the infirmary. She almost expected him to follow her, but after pausing for a beat he spun and went in the other direction.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Albus Dumbledore was many things, many of which she wasn't particularly impressed with, but she could admit that he was a mighty wizard. There was no love lost between him and the House she was born to, or the House she married into and she knew he could make things difficult for her if he so chose.

She stopped short when she rounded the corner into the corridor where the infirmary was located and saw her son and godson seated next to each other on the floor just beside the infirmary doors. Her first instinct was to scold them for such uncouth behavior, but then she saw the expressions on their faces. It looked as if they'd just been given devastating news.

"What's wrong?" She called, hurrying towards them, "has there been a set back with Calliope's injury?"

Draco's head shot up at the sound of her voice and his face relaxed slightly. "She's okay, Mother, don't worry."

They both stood hastily to greet her and she allowed a small amount of pride to blossom in her chest at their manners.

"Then what are the pair of you doing out here? I would have thought you wouldn't let her out of your sight." She pulled Draco into her arms, forcing him to stoop to fully embrace her and offered her cheek for a kiss. When had her little boy become a man? And when had she decided to let that fact affect the way that she treated him? She couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged him. She was sure she'd still been taller than him at the time. She released him and turned to similarly embrace Theodore.

"We didn't want to leave her, she basically kicked us out," Theodore explained with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting so spectacularly that Narcissa almost laughed.

"Why? I understand that she must be feeling conflicted, but given what you said in your letter I thought things were going well between the three of you?"

"She woke up and remembered that she's Hermione Granger," said Draco, he was much calmer than Theodore.

"She's Calliope Nott!" Theodore snapped.

"Of course she is! But she's also Hermione Granger. She's been Granger most of her life, and considered to be a muggleborn witch the whole time she's been at Hogwarts!"

"She seemed fine with us last night."

Draco sighed, and pursed his lips, a sure sign of his growing impatience. "Last night she was probably still processing, she had just gotten her memories back. Can you imagine how much of a mind fuck she's going through? Merlin, Theo, have you forgotten what happened to her, what our fathers participated in?!"

"Draco!" Narcissa scolded automatically.

"I apologize for my language Mother, but if ever an occasion called for it, I think this is it."

"It's not just your language I object to, Son," she whispered.

Drafco was unmoved. "Can either of you," he looked pointedly between herself and Theodore, "honestly defend their actions?"

Theodore looked chastised but he narrowed his eyes in Draco's direction. "Why are you so calm about this? And what's going on with you and Calla anyway? I expected her to curse you on sight, but instead you were the first thing she asked for and then she spent half the night on your lap. And don't give me any of this 'things aren't always as they seem' nonsense. You two can't put me off forever."

"If it's okay with Calla, I'll tell you later, but it's rather personal," Draco answered with a shrug.

Theodore let out a frustrated little growl and Narcissa- having some idea of her son's reasons for prevaricating- decided it was time to divert their attention. "Calliope knows I'm coming?" She wondered.

"Yes," said Draco, "your owl arrived first thing." He winced. "Before she asked us to leave."

"Well, let's go find Madam Pomfrey and send her to see if Calliope will consent to see me, we have some decisions to make."

She quickly located the mediwitch, and watched as she slipped into Calliope's room. She was only inside for a few minutes before she emerged, smiling at Narcissa and the two young men at her side.

"You can all go in now. I know you're worried about her but she's recovering well, it's perfectly understandable that she would be emotional right now."

"Thank you," she said with a sharp nod and walked towards Calliope's room with her son and godson flanking her.

Narcissa didn't hesitate to pull the door open but found herself frozen in place when her eyes landed on her goddaughter for the first time in more than ten years. She looked so small, curled up at the head of an enlarged hospital bed. She was dressed in an odd pair of pajamas that Narcissa assumed were of muggle origin, her hair was wild about her face which was all red and splotchy.

At the sound of the door opening her head shot up and she met Narcissa's eyes with that shining cinnamon colored gaze that had always been particular to Calliope. Theodore was the one who had inherited their mother's blue eyes, but in every other way Calliope was a near copy of Marguerite. It was wonderful, and it was terrible- it had Narcissa struggling to breathe.

"Aunt Cissa!" She choked on a sob and that got Narcissa moving.

She swept over to the bed, perched on the edge, and then gathered the girl- the young woman- into her arms and let her cry. When she finally pulled away Narcissa realized that there were tears streaming down her own cheeks and she pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. Calliope was holding one that had obviously come from either Draco or Theodore.

"Are you in pain, Calla?" She heard Theodore ask quietly and she looked up to see that Calliope had one hand pressed to her sternum and that she looked slightly ill. Narcissa could see bandages peeking out from beneath her collar.

She nodded. "I need to stop crying, it strains my wound."

"Do you need anything?" Narcissa wondered.

"No, I think I'm on about as many potions as I can take. From what I've been told I was relatively lucky in the scheme of things…" she trailed off and refused to look at any of them.

"Who did it?" Theodore practically growled, cutting through the heavy silence. "Who hurt you?" He clarified.  
That got her attention. "What does it matter?" She scoffed, looking up and meeting his eyes, her jaw set stubbornly.

"It matters," he insisted.

"Would it make you feel better, Teddy," she said his name with scathing emphasis, "if I told you it wasn't Father or Uncle Lucius?"

"Yes," he said immediately.

Narcissa winced and tried to brace herself for the impending disaster. Theodore hadn't thought this through; none of them were going to escape this conversation unscathed.

"Why?" She challenged.

"Because I want to punish the person who did it. I think I should be allowed that feeling."

"Fine. But what if it was one of them?"

She heard Theodore's breath catch, and then the silence in the room became deafening and Calliope held his gaze for what felt like an interminable period.

"It wasn't," Calliope eventually said. "I don't know who did it, you know, given the masks," she sneered gesturing across her own face, never breaking his glance. "Not that I probably would have recognized most of them anyway. But Uncle Lucius did most of the talking, and he said that Father had been knocked out right at the beginning. And then I know that he was in another room at the time I was cursed. Does that make you feel better?" She asked in a falsely sweet voice, continuing to glare at her brother. She seemed to be avoiding Narcissa's gaze altogether.

Theodore just stared at her. By this point his mouth had dropped open, and while Narcissa noticed that Draco had his face buried in his hands, he didn't look shocked. Apparently her son had a least slightly more insight into Calliope's mindset than his godbrother did.

"I don't know," Theodore responded in a small voice.

"It shouldn't," she hissed, "it was nothing but pure dumb luck. They were-all of them- throwing powerful offensive spells at _underaged school children_, Teddy. Of all of us, I'm the oldest! I have my memories back now and nowhere can I remember being taught that that was acceptable behavior," she let out a long and painful sounding breath. They all made a move towards her but she held her hands up to stop them. "Uncle Lucius made it very clear that all of us except for Harry were expendable." She shrugged. "Me especially, I'm sure. Since I'm nothing but a _filthy_ mudblood."

The sound of a great wracking sob filled the room and it took a moment for Narcissa to realized it had come out of her mouth.

Her husband was lost to her for Merlin knew how long. But they had Calliope back. However, their situation was frightening, and this young woman who looked so like her long lost best friend was rightfully furious.

Great joy coupled with great despair. It was a theme that was all too common in her life. She liked to think that she was a survivor, but at the moment it was hard to fathom how they were ever going to get through this.

**Author's Note: Okay you wonderful people, here is a new chapter, as promised. I hope you enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Draco was quite certain that his heart had split open in his chest and that he was bleeding internally. A small part of him was angry with Calla for being so brutal and for hurting his mother. But most of him couldn't be; she had every right to be angry with their fathers. Merlin, he was furious with them himself.

He was also angry for the terrible way she'd been treated since she was eleven years old. He had seen the sneers, heard the murmurs. No matter how smart she was, how well she performed, the other students still looked at her as something less.

He'd called her that terrible name before- filthy mudblood. Actually, he was pretty sure that was the first time she ever heard it, given the look of confusion that had flashed across her face as the insult had left his mouth instead of the hurt he'd been expecting. He had regretted it almost immediately even though she'd embarrassed him terribly by accusing him of buying his way onto the quidditch team. The truth of the matter was that even when he hadn't known who she was, it was painful for him to be cruel to her. But that hadn't kept him from throwing that term around in the following years.

And what he wanted to do in this moment was to take Theo and go make their fathers pay for what they'd done. Even as he kind of wanted to pummel the other wizard for pressing Calla into discussing this sensitive issue. Not that he thought he was actually capable of breaking into Azkaban, or defeating either of the older men in a duel, but he had a sneaking suspicion that once they found out what they'd done- albeit inadvertently- that they would take any punishment he felt like doling out gladly. Calla was infinitely precious to them both.

But he knew that he'd never actually be able to walk out on his mother and his betrothed. His fierce, strong, unflappable mother who was sobbing in Calla's arms looking some combination of heartbroken and afraid. His mother who was scared.

And that's when it really began to sink in what a dangerous position they were in. He had been so happy, so relieved that he hadn't really considered the circumstances.

Their fathers were followers of the Dark Lord. Their entire families were involved in his cause. And Calla had fought against him.

As he understood it, Calla had been unconscious by the time the man himself had actually arrived at the Ministry, but he doubted the dark wizard would consider that to be an important distinction.

Oh Merlin!

She was best friends with Harry Potter! What were they going to do? He couldn't lose Calla again, he just couldn't. Not to the Dark Lord, but not to her pack of Gryffindors either; Calla had confided in them how badly Dumbledore wanted her to return to the Order. Her friends wouldn't accept him or his family, but he also knew her well enough to know that she would not just abandon them.

She hadn't requested to see them yet and he certainly wasn't going to press that issue; but he knew that she would eventually. She was so smart, she had probably already figured all of this out and was subconsciously avoiding facing the reality of it. He closed his eyes and raked a hand down his face. He looked at Theo and he could tell that his old friend was experiencing a similar revelation.

"I'm sorry!" A sob, this time it came from Calla.

He whipped his head around to see that while she still clung to his mother, she was beckoning to them. He didn't hesitate to round the bed and sit behind her so that she could lean on him if she wanted, placing a hand on her back. He smiled to himself when she did in fact lean into his touch.

Theo scrambled onto the bed to sit at her feet, pulling them into his lap. The four of them huddled together like it was the most natural thing in the world. After all, they used to do this often.

Before Calliope's kidnapping the twins had spent a lot of time at Malfoy Manor, just as Draco spent a lot of time at Highvale Park. And this was something of a tradition between him and his mother. His father often had early morning obligations and when he did, his mother would come get him out of bed and put him in with her. They'd talk and she'd have the elves deliver them breakfast. It was their secret, special time and if the twins were around they would always be included as well. He'd thought nothing of it at the time, but now those were some of his most treasured memories.

"I'm sorry Aunt Cissa," Calla sniffed, "that was cruel, I'm just so," she hiccuped, "mad at them, but it's not your fault, it's none of your faults. And I'm sorry I made you leave, boys, I feel so confused and you both…" she trailed off and peered at them, obviously hesitant to continue.

"Go ahead," Draco encouraged gently even as he dreaded what she might be about to say.

"You both look so much like your father and all I could think last night was how happy I was to see you. But this morning...it was a shock."

Draco's heart was pounding but he couldn't think of anything to say to that. Hermione Granger would have no good associations with Lucius Malfoy. Merlin knew what she thought about her own family!

Salazar, but she must be conflicted. She couldn't trust her own memories, they had to be terribly contradictory.

"We were just little kids last time you really saw us," Theo offered hesitantly, it was clear to Draco that he was making a concerted effort, but having not paid a lot of attention to Hermione Granger he was having a hard time understanding why she wasn't just acting like the Calliope he remembered, at least that's how it seemed to Draco. "It's kind of shocking how much you've grown up too, you look so much like Mother."

"She's beautiful, isn't she Theodore?" Asked his mother, smoothing the hair out of Calla's face.

Calla gave her a weepy smile.

"Yes, and I think I'm being very patient allowing Draco to have his hands all over her," Theo ground out.

Calla's head shot up and her eyes narrowed, and Draco almost laughed- in so many ways she was the same at sixteen as she'd been at five. "Allowed, Teddy?" She hissed, actually balling her hands into fists and looking very much prepared to strike him.

Theo held his hands up in surrender. "You're my sister, it's a little weird, that's all. And speaking of which, would the two of you please explain how you're so comfortable together? Draco's been a complete prat to you for years."

"He has not!" She snapped in return. "Quit making assumptions, Twin, it's beginning to irritate me!"

Draco couldn't help but chuckle, thinking it was doing a lot more than just 'beginning' to irritate her, as he rubbed her back supportively- Salazar how he'd missed her! Theo shot him a glare but Draco didn't react. He knew better than to get in the middle of one of their spats. They fought each other as hard as they loved each other.

"Do the words 'Inquisitorial Squad' mean nothing to you?" Theo countered.

Calla leaned back against Draco's chest, crossing her arms over her own chest. His mother was still dabbing at her face, she was as much of a mess as he'd ever seen her. But her eyes were sparkling knowingly in his direction and he realized that she understood him a lot better than he'd thought. Had he been able to hide anything from her? How long had she known how he felt about Hermione Granger?

"Draco's a much better actor than you're giving him credit for," she sniffed. "He's been looking out for me for years. Sure, we had a few run-ins our first couple of years, but it was nothing serious."

"I called you a mudblood," he murmured into her ear, deciding to throw Theo a bone. "And then there was that time you slapped me." He was never, ever going to tell her he'd actually found that to be hot.

She whipped her head around. "Which we will be discussing later, _not_ in front of my brother!" She hissed and then turned back to Theo. "Do you really think I could have organized what amounts to being a student militia inside of Hogwarts without the help of somebody on the inside? Especially considering that I was dealing with a bunch of obvious Gryffindors?"

Theo held her gaze for a moment before dissolving into laughter. "You do realize you are one of those obvious Gryffindors?"

She bristled and Draco snuck a hand under her top to caress the smooth skin at the small of her back. He smiled to himself when she, once again, relaxed against him.

"So you're telling me what...all this time you've been friends?"

"Not friends exactly, but he's looked out for me and I've tried to let him know that I'm appreciative." She twisted in his arms again, wincing as she did so and he wished she'd take it easy. Maybe living in Gryffindor Tower had ruined all her instincts towards self-preservation. "You did know that I was appreciative, didn't you?"

He smiled gently at her. "Yeah."

Theo made a face. "Ugh, do I even want to know what that means?"

Calla just stared at him and then his meaning sunk in and she flushed. "It wasn't like that Theodore! I said 'thank you' when we were alone together, I'd smile when nobody was looking, he would leave me notes informing me about the Inquisitorial Squad's plans and I would write back. That's it, it wasn't tawdry," she huffed.

It hadn't been, he may have been tempted a time or two to pull her into an empty classroom and snog her senseless, but he'd never seriously entertained the idea. It was far too reckless. Their not-even-quite-a-friendship had been dangerous enough, but he hadn't been able to help himself.

"But why?" Theo insisted, he looked at Draco, "I mean you weren't really getting anything out of it."

"Be careful how you talk about my betrothed," he snapped.

Theo winced when he realized what he'd inadvertently implied and raked a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, this is just disorienting, it's like we're talking about two different people."

Draco could sympathize. "It was too hard to be mean to her," he tried to describe a feeling he'd been unable to understand himself for more than three years.

"Their bond called them to each other," his mother explained gently.

"And what about our bond," Theo griped, "we're _twins._"

"When did you ever speak to Hermione Granger?" Draco argued. "I'm not faulting you, but you never gave yourself the opportunity to interact with her. I'm sure if you had, you would have felt something too."

"Twin," Calla whispered, "you know I don't love you any less than I love Draco, right?"

His heart stopped, hearing her say that she loved him, but she was reaching a hand out for her brother and he had to let her out of his arms even though all he wanted was to hold her tight and tell her how much he loved her in return.

Theo took it immediately and drew her into his arms, albeit very carefully.

They held each other for the longest time and Draco's heart clenched at the thought of the time they'd missed together, and of his own little sister whom he'd never really known, but still missed.

"Why does nobody call you 'Teddy' anymore?" Calla wondered, wiping the tears from her brother's face with the pads of her thumbs.

He ducked his head. "It was too hard after Mother died, I asked everybody to call me Theodore."

She let out a shuddering breath. "Do you mind if I call you 'Teddy?' I'm sorry, I should have asked before."

He laughed and buried his face in her hair. "Please do," he said, his voice muffled against her skin and Draco was grateful when his mother reached over and took his hand, pulling him close, and suddenly the question that had been gnawing at him burst forth: "Why did you do it Calla?" He wailed, "why did you go with them to the Ministry? You're far too clever for that, you must have known it was a trap!"

She pulled back and smiled at him ruefully, but then very slowly she began to smirk. "Of course I knew it was a trap! The hat wanted to sort me into Slytherin, you know, I'm not a fool. I just didn't see any way to talk Harry out of falling into it, they did a good job of convincing us that they had Sirius, and he was all the family Harry had left...I know what it's like to find yourself totally alone. I didn't want that to happen to Harry."

Draco sighed quietly, Calla always had been a bleeding heart. She'd come along with him and his father to go fishing in the lake at Malfoy Manor exactly one time because once she'd realized what was involved, she threw an absolute fit at the idea of hurting the animals. Silence once again reigned.

"What happens now?" Draco finally wondered, he was unwilling to quibble over Potter and his place in Calla's life, or the rest of her Gryffindor friends, for that matter. He wasn't fond of any of them. In fact, he rather despised Potter and Weasley, but that seemed so inconsequential at the moment.

"Moxie," his mother called quietly, "I need my bag please, we have parchment work to take care of," and her elf, who had been doing her best to blend into the background so as not to disturb them, stepped forward.

"Moxie!" Calla exclaimed, pulling away from her brother and scrambling off the bed to kneel and embrace the elf.

"Moxie has missed our Miss Calla," she responded, sounding very close to tears, patting Calliope's back. "This magic that kept you from us is ugly. But we are glad you are back."

"I've missed you too, I've missed you all!" But then she pulled away and looked at Moxie with something like horror. "Oh, gods, S.P.E.W.!"

"I'm sorry, what was that, dear?" His mother asked.

"The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!" She said, as if that explained it.

"Are we supposed to know what that means?" Asked Theo, sounding distinctly unimpressed.

"It's- oh Merlin!" She wailed, "it's a club I started. No wonder nobody wanted to join! I've been knitting hats and scarves and leaving them out in Gryffindor Tower hoping to free the Hogwarts elves- everybody told me I was crazy!"

"Why would you do that?" Theo exclaimed and at the same time Draco asked the rather inane question of: "You knit?"

Calla ignored him and looked at her brother pleadingly, "I thought they were slaves, I didn't know any better!" She frowned. "You know, it's really terrible, the way we treat muggleborns, how little we tell them of our world! I _will_ be doing something about that!" She pointed at the three of them in turn, almost daring them to argue with her. But then her face fell again. "But why didn't somebody simply tell me that elves need to be bonded to a family or a rich magical site to keep their magic? Why did they keep foisting me off 'they like to serve,'" she said in a mocking voice and looking to his mother for an explanation.

"I don't know sweetheart, much of the lore about magical bonds has been lost especially in regards to creatures, perhaps they were unaware."

"Well that's even worse! That means they didn't even know they weren't slaves, they just didn't care!" She practically shrieked. "Oh those poor elves! They probably think that I was unhappy with their service. I tried to kick them out of their home if not all out murder them! I'm terrible." She covered her face in her hands and began to cry.

His mother stood up and pulled Calla from her knees and back into her arms. "You're not terrible. It sounds like you meant well. You did always have a tender heart." Draco knew that his mother didn't quite understand the situation, he was confused too (did Calla actually think she had the power to free Hogwarts elves?) but his mother's words seemed to soothe her well enough. "Moxie, you have some cousins who work at Hogwarts, don't you?"

"Moxie does," she confirmed as she watched the scene with wide eyes

"Perhaps you could leave my bag here and go visit them, help them to understand the situation. You know that Calliope would never intentionally harm an elf."

Moxie nodded so enthusiastically that her ears flapped. "Moxie will be doing that Mistress."

Calla turned her head to look at the elf. "Tell them I'm sorry, I'll apologize in person if they'd like, but I'd also understand if they don't want to see me." She looked at his mother pleadingly. "Maybe we could send them some spices and seeds as an apology, Hogwarts budget probably doesn't allow for anything extravagant and if so then I'm certain they're getting tired of cooking the same dishes over and over."

"That's a lovely thought, dear," his mother agreed.

Moxie patted her leg. "Moxie will make them understand. Miss Calla is a good girl with a good heart, she just didn't understand when the bad magic was controlling her." And with that she deposited his mother's bag on the bed and popped away.

"Alright, sweet girl," his mother said, taking Calla's face in her hands, and then she turned to look at himself and Theo and smirked, "and unruly boys."

Draco's heart lurched, he'd completely forgotten she used to call them that.

"This family needs a plan."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"We could go to the Order," Hermione suggested when the four of them were once again settled on her bed; she was met with silence.

Draco and Aunt Cissa seemed slightly nervous, Teddy was looking at her with something like pity.

"What?" She asked. Aunt Cissa said they needed a plan, surely she meant that they needed a plan to protect themselves from Voldemort, right? And while Hermione certainly wasn't going to take Dumbledore up on his near insistence that she deny her true identity, if they all sought asylum with the Order, that would solve the problem, wouldn't it?

"Do you really think they would protect us?" Teddy asked.

"Why not? I stayed with them most of last summer." Hermione frowned at him. "I mean that's the whole point of the Order, isn't it? It's what they stand for.

"Twin," he sighed.

She automatically bristled at his condescending tone, but ignored it in favor of hearing what he had to say.

"You do realize that things will change once they know who you are, don't you?" He continued.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't find the words.

"And even if they don't," he continued, "do you honestly believe they'll accept me, Draco, and Aunt Cissa?"

She found herself, once again, at a loss for words. She'd seen enough to know that the members of the Order were not without their own prejudices, especially considering the history between Malfoys and Weasleys, and the Weasleys were key members of the Order. And then she remembered that the headmaster, in all of his trying to convince her to return to the Order, had never even hinted that he would be willing to take Draco and Teddy as well, even after she made it clear that she wouldn't be separated from them, and her heart sank.

"And even if they _did_?" Her brother kept speaking, but he at least didn't look like he was enjoying what he was saying. "What do you think would happen to Father and Uncle Lucius if we go to the Order? I know you're angry with them, I get it, but you still love them, don't you? I can't believe you want them dead."

She clenched her fists at the mere mention of Father and Uncle Lucius. She hadn't known it was possible to simultaneously feel such love and such hate. Her twin was probably the only person on the planet who could make this argument to her without causing her to lose her temper. She thought that maybe he was being slightly pessimistic, but she also had evidence to suggest that he had plenty of reason to be concerned.

"That's not even mentioning that we still don't know who kidnapped you and if they are still a danger to you," he continued to press her.

"But the Order wouldn't have had anything to do with that!" She protested automatically.

"How do you know?"

"That's just not the kind of people they are. Why would they kidnap a child?!"

His eyes softened. "You don't know, do you?"

"Theo," Draco remonstrated quietly from beside her, "how could she possibly know?"

"Know what?" She demanded, her temper beginning to simmer again.

"Mother and Father received exactly one communication from your kidnappers," Teddy explained.

"They did?" Her breath caught, she was so overwhelmed, she hadn't really considered what would have happened in the aftermath of her kidnapping in terms of the investigation or any clues that might have been discovered.

Merlin, she'd been kidnapped!

She tucked herself into Teddy's side, instinctively seeking comfort. He kissed the top of her head.

"Tell me what it said."

"Long story short, they made it clear that you had been taken as retribution for Father's position during the war as well as his political views. It makes sense that they just dumped you in the muggle world, like rubbish."

Hermione narrowed her eyes in his direction. Nothing could diminish her love for them, but her boys were about to get a crash course in muggle life. She wouldn't abide by this casual derision for long. However, in the name of expediency, she let it go for the moment.

"That doesn't explain why you think the Order was involved?" She hissed.

"You're still alive." He answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? What does that mean?"

"Doesn't that sound like Dumbledore and his followers, to be so cruel as to rip a little girl away from her family, reduce her to a life as a muggleborn instead of just giving her a merciful death? They could still feel all self-righteous while causing an untold amount of pain."

"I had a nice life, Theodore," she retorted, pulling away from him, "it's only this world," she gestured around her, "that has ever done me any harm. Also, I didn't know that you wished me dead." She sneered at him and crawled back to Draco who immediately wrapped his arms around her.

Teddy had the good grace to look sheepish. "That's not what I meant."

"It's what you said."

"Calliope," Aunt Cissa interrupted quietly, "there are obviously a lot of issues to be resolved here. However, now is not the time to argue amongst ourselves. For the moment I need to know if you want to stay with myself and the boys. I've taken steps to ensure your guardianship until you come of age, but I will not force it upon you if you're unwilling. I know that you have a life that is entirely separate from us."

She felt Draco's breath hitch and Teddy made a small sound of protest, and it was as if somebody had actually stabbed her through the heart. "No!" She cried, reflexively grabbing for both her brother and her Dragon. And she realized it had never really been a choice, where they were, so too would she be. "But what about my par-" she cut herself off, "my adoptive parents" she corrected. "I haven't spent much time at home in several summers, but I won't just abandon them. Are they in danger? And will this put them in more danger? And what on earth do I tell them?"

Aunt Cissa contemplated this. "I do not know," she eventually admitted. "Could you convince them to go away for awhile?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted in return, "they're well off, but they don't have inexhaustible means to just go into hiding for an indefinite amount of time. And I don't know how to tell them they have to put their lives on hold. I have no idea how to explain any of this to them, really." She sighed as reality sunk in and she wondered how blind she'd been, and for how long. "But I can't just leave them as sitting ducks, and even if I went home, I can't defend them, I don't even have wand rights."

Aunt Narcissa's face softened. "Oh sweetheart, surely you must remember that money is no object."

"They wouldn't want charity."

"Charity?" Aunt Cissa scoffed, "for the people who took in our Calla? No, not charity. Would it help if I came with you to speak to them once term in finished, parent to parent, and explained the situation?"

"Maybe," she shrugged but she smiled at her godmother. She had some idea what it cost her to make that offer; to agree to come into the muggle world and to be recognizing two muggles as her parents.

"Okay," Aunt Cissa agreed, "we will figure something out, I promise you they will not be forgotten. Houses Nott and Malfoy owe them more than we can ever repay."

"And Black," added Draco quietly.

Hermione whipped her head around to look at him, hand flying to her mouth. "Oh Merlin! Sirius is dead; you're going to be Lord Black!" Hermione had informed them of Sirius' demise and Draco had little reaction to the news, which wasn't a surprise given that he'd never even met the man, but she'd forgotten that it was actually a big deal for him, for them.

He eyed her warily. "Does that change anything? I know it's a whole lot more responsibility for you."

"Oh Dragon," she sighed, "of course not, I'm not going to break our betrothal because I'm not ready to be Lady Black," she clutched at her chest, even the thought of it hurt. "I honestly don't think my magic would even allow it, it's just...this is all a lot to wrap my head around."

At the moment she was the de facto Lady Nott- though she didn't think her family would be hosting any events in the near future which would require her to play hostess- and as Draco's betrothed she was the presumptive Lady Black and the future Lady Malfoy.

To say that it was a lot to wrap her head around was an understatement. But it wasn't something she wanted to worry Draco over, it wasn't something he could change nor would she ask him to. However, she was going to be having a long talk with her Aunt Cissa the moment she had the opportunity.

"Good," he sighed. "What do we do now? We still don't have any kind of plan," Draco wondered, directing the question to his mother.

"I was considering going abroad," Aunt Cissa answered, "buying us some time to get our bearings and get to know each other again. Nobody could fault us, given that we've just found Calliope again after so long, as well as the other circumstances." If Narcissa Malfoy could ever actually look uncomfortable, she did as she uttered that last statement.

"Where?" Draco asked, clearly trying to help his mother through this conversation.

"I was thinking our villa on the Cote d'Azur, it's a perfectly understandable choice for a summer holiday, and not so far away that we could be accused of fleeing but will put some distance between us and The Dark Lord."

"It would keep us neutral," Teddy offered. "It shouldn't make Father's situation worse."

"You mean since our father is in prison," Hermione responded quietly, "and relatively sheltered from being punished further by his so-called lord?"

Theodore winced but nodded.

It was difficult for her to reconcile the gentle, loving, if rather strict men in her memories of her father and Uncle Lucius with the vicious Death Eaters she'd encountered at the Ministry. For that matter, she was having trouble reconciling all of her memories, the five year old pureblood with the sixteen year old muggleborn. These boys who were her life with the virtual strangers they were now.

"Is it safe for me to go with you?" She wondered. "And is it safe for the three of you to be around me? I may be a pureblood now, but I am most assuredly a blood traitor."

Aunt Narcissa pursed her lips. "But you are also Calliope Nott. Nobody in our set would dare harm you especially as long as you are with us. They'll understand that you were just...confused."

Hermione met her godmother's eyes. "I wasn't though. I knew what I was doing and I stand by my actions and my beliefs. I love you all, nothing will change that, but you're wrong about this blood status nonsense."

"Perhaps, as Theodore said, we can just do our best to appear neutral for the time being. Whether you like it or not, Calla, our blood status protects us."

"Okay then," Hermione agreed with a heavy heart, even as her clever mind raced, noting the brush off for what it was, "lets go to France." It was disorienting. She trusted these three people more than anybody else in the castle, more than anybody else in the world other than her adoptive parents, but she abhorred some of their most fundamental beliefs. So, she'd buy herself time to convince them they were wrong, and if she couldn't, she'd make her own choices.

"One last thing Calliope," her godmother interrupted her thoughts.

"What's that?"

"How do you want to handle your re-entry into our society?"

"Oh!" She hadn't even considered that, but now that her godmother had brought it up, she realized this was a big deal. "I don't know, what would you suggest?"

"I think, given everything...it would be best to avoid reporters for the time being. But I do think we need to make a statement, would you trust me to have our solicitor draft something on behalf of both families?"

Hermione looked at Teddy who gave her a small nod.

"That sounds good, thank you for taking care of it."

"Oh darling," she sighed. "Of course." She took her face in her hands and kissed her forehead. "It is wonderful to have you back. I hope you know how loved you are and how much you were missed."

Hermione could only nod.

"If that's settled," Aunt Cissa continued with a little sniffle, "I need to go send this parchment work off to make it official, I don't want to risk the Ministry attempting to talk to either of you without my supervision. I'm honestly a little flabbergasted there aren't already aurors crawling all over this place. Dumbledore must be keeping them at bay, though I can't imagine why. Goodbye loves, I'll be in touch this afternoon about the statement." She stood and scooped up her bag, but instead of leaving she opened it and removed a box about the width and breadth of Hermione's hand, passed it to Draco, and with a final smile exited the room.

Hermione glanced at her brother but he just gave her a knowing look and so she turned back to Draco.

"Yes, Dragon?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Draco fidgeted nervously, turning the box his mother had given him over and over in his shot Hermione a look, clearly suppressing a smile; they both knew what was about to happen. They also both knew that Teddy should make a graceful exit, but she could tell that he didn't have any intention of doing so. She rolled her eyes at him and she briefly considered ordering him away except Draco began to speak before she could.

He cleared his throat. "Calliope, I'd like to offer you this gift as a symbol of my regard and a mark of my intentions towards you. You are my betrothed and you deserve to be recognized as such. It would be my honor if you would wear this." He flipped the box open to reveal a delicate jade bracelet, carved into the form of a dragon.

It was exquisite. The little girl inside of her was ecstatic and she wanted to snatch it up and fall into her betrothed's arms. Except that she wasn't just Calla anymore, and she was definitely not just a little girl anymore either. Hermione had some memories that were more than a little unsettling, and Draco had some things to answer for, and more than that, she had some things which she needed to make sure were straight between them.

She tilted her head this way and that, as if considering his offer. Teddy let out a little snort of amusement and she turned her face towards him and smirked.

"Draco," she swiveled to look at him again, "are you dating Pansy Parkinson?" She asked in a low, dangerous voice. She refused to reveal how insecure the question made her feel.

"Oh Merlin," she heard Teddy gasp, "I'm just gonna run down to my dorm and get something- yep, there's something I definitely need down there," and then he practically ran out of the room.

"Coward," she hissed after him and shot a look at his retreating form which promised retribution for hanging around just up to the point when things got sticky, but then she turned back to the blond boy seated on her bed. "Well? What about Pansy?" She prompted Draco.

He was shaking his head vigorously, but the way he was swallowing convulsively made her suspicious.

"No, of course not, I'm betrothed to you," he said, a little too quickly.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first wizard, or the last, to take advantage of his betrothed's absence to have a little fun on the side," she hissed.

"Are you calling my honor into question?" It was his turn to sound dangerous, but she wasn't intimidated.

"I remember that you let her touch you. You let her call you stupid nicknames- 'Drakie,' ugh how repulsive," she huffed and poked him. "You let her hang all over you _and _that you took her to the Yule Ball!"

"You went with Viktor Krum!" He snapped in return.

"That's different, I didn't remember you!"

"Well I'm sorry, but I didn't want to look pathetic, attending without a date! Anyway, it was one night. We're not together, she's just always following me around. It's not my fault she can't take a hint," he pouted.

"You should have told her straight out to leave you alone, she shouldn't have needed to take the hint!" And to her utter humiliation Hermione felt tears welling in her eyes- she refused to be coddled because she kept crying or to let him know how much this was bothering her. She took a deep breath...and it worked, at least for the time being.

"Well…" Draco squirmed uncomfortably in response to her question.

"Admit it, you liked the attention!"

"Calla no, she's annoying," he argued. But she knew that bashful, guilty look on his face. It was the same expression he'd always worn when he'd tried to convince his parents he hadn't been doing something forbidden.

She was rather surprised by how little his lying skills had improved since he was a little boy. Except she had many memories of him lying very well throughout their years at Hogwarts, and grinned to herself when she realized it was just _her_ that he couldn't lie to effectively. He was still her Dragon even if she did kind of want to strangle him at the moment. .

"Have you kissed her?" She demanded.

He blanched.

"You have! That little slag!" She poked him again.

He caught her hand. "Calla, cut it out! It was one time and I didn't even like it."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh! Well if you didn't like it that makes it okay then!" She socked his shoulder with her free hand.

He grabbed that hand too and brought them both to hold them against his chest. "Calla, come on!"

"I'm not going to forget this just because you keep saying my name over and over."

He suddenly looked sheepish. "I didn't even realize I was doing that, it's just nice to finally be able to say it again."

She let out a breath. _That_ took some of the wind out of her sails, especially because she detected no artifice in his confession. Still, she wasn't quite ready to let this go.

"Kiss me," she demanded.

"What?"

"You kissed Parkinson," she spat, "but you're mine, so kiss me."

His eyes flashed and for a moment, she actually thought he was going to argue with her. But then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers and suddenly she wondered if all those muggle fairy tales weren't onto something about true love's first kiss. Because she did have some experience with kissing, and it had never felt anything like this. This felt like they were forging a connection between them that was much deeper than mere physical touch, it was the most visceral their bond had ever felt, and it was blissful.

"Did you like that?" She asked him, almost daring him to deny it once he pulled away.

He just blinked at her for a few moments, but then he seemed to recover and smirked. "I forgot what a demanding little princess you could be," he laughed.

"_That's _what you have to say to me right now?" She punched his arm again, and winced. She needed to cut it out with the sudden movements until she was fully healed.

"Don't be like that _Calla_," he cajoled, and she really couldn't deny that she did like hearing him say her name."Are you going to accept the bracelet or should I have Mother look into negotiating a contract for Pansy?" He smiled at her and raised a hand to her cheek. "Please don't leave me to that fate."

She covered his hand with hers on her cheek and sighed. "I have something to say first. I can't in good conscience accept this token without saying it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Something more serious than demanding to know if I'm dating Pansy?"

"Yes, something that will affect us for the rest of our lives," she swallowed thickly.

"Okay," he said warily, "well no pressure there."

"You basically just asked me to commit to marrying you, Dragon," she pointed out gently.

"True," he nodded, taking her hands in his. "Go ahead."

She took a deep breath. "I just need to make it clear that getting my memories back hasn't changed anything about my beliefs. I'm choosing to go with you and Teddy and Aunt Cissa for the summer rather than the Order, but I am not choosing Voldemort," he winced and she was proud that she managed not to stutter over the name. "I will never be on his side, not just because I don't believe in his cause, but the man is an absolute monster and I find him repulsive."

"Okay," he said slowly, "I think I already knew that."

"I also will not marry a Death Eater. I just won't do it. I refuse to spend my life with a man who would chain himself to that monster. Not just because I find his cause despicable, but look at what he has cost our fathers, our families. I refuse to put my own children through that."

He sucked in a breath at the word 'children.'

"Calla, I've already begun to...sour on the idea of taking the mark. But it's complicated-"

"It's really not," she interrupted, gently pulling her hands free from his grip and bringing them to his face. "It's really not, it's me or him, it's as simple as that."

He blinked. Once, twice, and his expression cleared. "Well, when you put it like that, it is simple. I will not lose you, never again. So, of course it's you, always you, forever you." He raised his hands to her face, mirroring their positions, and placed his forehead against hers. "I have to warn you that we might have to run. He has so much power and he doesn't necessarily believe in giving you a choice. And my family is in deep. The only way for me to avoid the mark might be to run.".

"We'll do what we must," she agreed, this was something she'd already considered. While she wanted to stay and fight for what she believed in, she couldn't ask this of him and then be unwilling to do what it took to keep him safe. "Also," she continued.

"There's _more_?" He huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

"As I said, I don't believe in this blood purity nonsense, and I will not be changing my mind. When I got my memories back I was thrilled to be able to remember, and to get my family back. But there isn't a single part of me that cares that I'm now a pureblood. It makes no difference to me, I don't feel superior because of it. In fact, it's dangerous to keep intermarrying. I'm just glad that our families are only very distantly related because I very much want children. I'm proud to be a Nott, and I'll be so proud to be a Malfoy, but it has nothing to do with blood."

"Calla, I can't just change the way I think overnight. I'm not even sure that I want to, because I know that you're smart, but I'm not sure that you're right. Magical blood breeds magical blood."

She sighed. "I don't expect you to suddenly change all of your fundamental beliefs. I can even accept that you might never really be comfortable with Muggles or their world, but I won't sit back and allow you to brainwash our children the way that our parents brainwashed you and Teddy."

"Brainwashed?" He snorted. "I haven't been brainwashed, don't be so dramatic, witch!"

"I'm not."

He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Dragon," she responded with put-upon patience, "tell me how many muggles have you ever met, much less talked to? How much time have you spent in the muggle world?"

He narrowed his eyes at her but answered. "Not a lot, and I don't know any muggles."

"So how do you know that they're inferior? Because our parents told you? Because they don't have magic? Would it shock you to hear that in many ways they've improved beyond magic?"

"Surely not," he scoffed.

"I think I'm the resident expert here, and I assure you, it's true."

He just huffed.

"Teaching somebody to believe something without offering any evidence, just drilling it into their psyche is the definition of brainwashing," she continued. "And I'll give our parents the benefit of the doubt and say that they didn't mean to do it, it's the way they were raised as well. But I have a perspective that you don't, and I'm telling you, it's an insidious way to behave."

He sighed. "What do you want Calliope?"

"I want you to listen."

Draco was smart and he caught on quickly. "You'll teach me about muggles and why blood doesn't matter and I'll do my best to be open minded, is that what you're asking for?"

"Yes," she paused, "please."

"Can I ask for something in return?"

"You can ask, doesn't mean I'll grant it," she demurred.

"Another kiss?"

She grinned. "Of course," she murmured as she pressed their lips together.

"Are you going to make the same demands of Theo?" He wondered when they pulled away from each other.

She sighed. "I don't think I have the right to. He's my twin and I adore him, but he's not the one I plan to build a life with. Our situation is different, the expectations I have for a life partner are just different. However, I will be telling him how I feel."

He eyed her and she fidgeted nervously.

"You brought up the Pansy thing to get him out of the room, didn't you?" Draco finally asked.

"Maybe." She bit her lip

"And you asked me to kiss you so that I would be more amenable to what you had to say, didn't you?"

"It's possible," she singsonged.

"You're awfully manipulative for somebody who looks so small and innocent."

"The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, remember?"

"It's too bad, you would have looked good in green. We can get you some emeralds to make up for it."

She smirked at him. "I like emeralds."

"I'll make sure you're dripping with them, then. But for now, the bracelet?"

She let him squirm for another minute or so before she too began to squirm. "Gimme, gimme," she demanded, searching for where he'd dropped the box.

He grabbed it from where it had fallen, somehow slightly behind one of his hips.

"Demanding little princess," he repeated mockingly.

He removed the bracelet from the box and she extended her arm to allow him to slip it onto her wrist. She twisted her arm this way and that, admiring it and grinned at Draco. "A dragon?"

He just smirked at her.

"How proprietary of you."

"Well if I'm yours, then you're mine," he countered.

She buried her face in his shoulder to hide her smile, she wasn't sure she wanted to give him the satisfaction of seeing how giddy she felt. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. "I've been waiting a long time for this," she said, breathing in his still familiar, but also different scent.

"You've been waiting a long time?" He snorted. "Hermione, I've been thinking about this every day for more than ten years."

She pulled back in surprise. "Hermione?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted you to know that I see it. That they are both you: Calliope and Hermione. I accept it, I accept all of you."

Until he said it Hermione hadn't known how much she needed to hear it. "I accept you too, all of you, whatever might come. There's a lot I don't know about you anymore, but I'm excited to learn. What I do know is that I love you."

He looked away blinking rapidly, she could tell he was uncomfortable and she opened her mouth to tell him that it was okay, that he didn't have to say it back, when he spoke.

"I love you too."

She grinned and pressed their lips together yet again.

"I missed you," she breathed.

"I missed you too, turned me into a right prat."

"Oh please, that's just your natural cranky reptilian nature, you were always like that." She stuck her nose in the air, giving him side-eye. "Wait until my father hears about this," she mimicked.

He pinched her side in retribution and then they fell over laughing.

**Author's Note: Almost 100% Dramione, I hope it made you guys smile. There's a picture of the inspiration for Hermione's bracelet on my Pinterest board for this story if you want to check it out, same name there. Also, I've had a few requests for another bonus chapter to celebrate when this fic reaches 1k reviews, and y'all are so awesome I'm more than happy to oblige but I wanted to ask if you have any requests? Alpha love to Weestarmeegie, and as always, thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- Interlude

_Autumn 1984:_

_"Calla, Calla," Teddy called quietly, "come out, come out wherever you are!" _

_Calliope bit down on her lip to suppress a giggle. It would be such a shame to give up her hiding place after doing all this work, loudly running around to put on a show and fool him by hiding basically right in front of his face. The slightest movement or sound could betray her; she wasn't stupid, she was using her small stature to work for her and hiding in plain sight- Teddy might have been calling for her but he never really expected to find her tucked away behind the curtains just feet from where he'd been counting in the family living room of Highvale Park. _

_Draco was a much easier mark, he gave in to her so easily. It almost made it boring to play games with him. _

_Almost._

_But Teddy, Teddy would never concede defeat. He'd search until he found her, so she was going to make him work for it. Which meant waiting a long time. _

_Eventually she got tired. Still she remained unwilling to give up her hiding place. However, the sunshine coming through the windows was warm and pleasant, the glass felt warm and inviting, and despite her determination to stay awake so that she could crow her victory over her cleverness when her twin finally found her, it lulled her to sleep. _

_She was jerked out of her slumber by the sound of her mother and brother frantically calling her name: "Calliope! Calla! Please love, where are you!" There was a loud sniff. "It's okay Teddy, I know this wasn't your fault, you were just playing," her mother reassured her twin. _

_The glass had grown cold against her cheek and she looked outside, surprised to see that it had grown dark. Her heart raced; she had never meant to scare her twin._

_She kicked at the heavy upholstery of the drapes as she struggled to sit up and let out a little sound of distress as the bulky fabric knocked her back against the windowsill. But moments later the curtains were jerked back and she was greeted by the panicked faces of her mother and brother._

_Teddy was clutching Mother's hand and he looked absolutely wretched. _

_"Calliope!" Mother scolded._

_She burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to do my best job hiding and then I fell asleep!" She defended. _

_Mother took a few deep breaths and then she embraced them both. "Of course, you were just playing."_

_"I would never hurt her!" Teddy wailed. _

_Mother reared back. "What my love? Of course you wouldn't!" _

_"You were so angry!" He protested._

_"Oh no, I was frightened, just frightened for Calla." She fell to the floor and hauled them both onto her lap. "I'm sorry Teddy boy, I was just scared for your sister but I never meant to blame you." _

_"We were only playing," Calliope defended, distraught by how upset her mother and brother seemed to be. _

_"Oh I know my loves." She kissed both of their heads. "Hush, there is no need to be distraught. Calla is safe, neither of you meant any harm, we just had a scary episode, okay?" _

_They both nodded, but Teddy took her hand and grasped it much tighter than he ever had before. Mother nodded in return, took both of their empty hands, and stood. They followed without question,though the way they were forced to trail behind her was a little awkward as they were each unwilling to let go of the other's hand, but neither of them fought her as she led them to the master chambers._

_"I'm sorry, Teddy," Calla whispered as they walked. "I only wanted to be a good hider." _

_"It's okay, Twin, I know you didn't mean to." _

_She nodded and squeezed his hand but shot a look at her brother as they nearly tumbled down the corridors of their home- they were both disturbed by their mother's reaction. _

_Neither minded that Mother had supper sent up and that they shared it in the sitting room. Normally they would have reveled in the treat. But they were not fooled by their mother's faux enthusiasm. However, by mutually silent agreement they let her pretend to enjoy it and they, in turn, pretended not to notice the way she kept checking them both over as if they'd been injured. _

_An hour after supper was finished Calliope was perched between her mother's legs as she carefully combed and plaited her hair. Teddy had plopped himself on the end of the bed, chin in his hands, swinging his legs and watching them with interest. _

_Teddy didn't normally stay to watch her go through her hair routine with Mother. He thought that it was boring and a waste of his time. This was her Dragon's domain, when he slept over. Because one day it would be Draco's duty to assist her just as, on occasion, she'd seen Father help Mother comb her hair. However, tonight Teddy remained, and for once he didn't seem to find it a chore._

_She met his eyes and smiled at him. _

_She was tucked drowsily between her mother and her twin when her father returned. She knew that he had been away on the continent and that her mother hadn't expected him home until the next day. She was surprised but pleased to see him, but her sleep-heavy limbs prevented her from reaching for him. _

_"Tahvo," her mother greeted him when he entered the room, unfastening his cuffs. His name was spoken as much a sigh as it was a word._

_"Why are the rascals in our bed?" He asked, pausing at the foot, an expression of amusement and mild exasperation on his face. _

_"We had a scare earlier and I wanted to keep them close," Mother answered. _

_"A scare?"_

_"They were playing hide and go seek and our girl fell asleep in her hiding spot. She was missing for hours." _

_Father took a deep breath. "Daisy, I understand how that might have been disconcerting, but it's not like she could have gone wandering beyond the wards."_

_"I'm aware of that, I dare say I know as much about our wards as you do. But that doesn't preclude her from getting lost on the grounds and getting hurt. The wards aren't perfect, they can't shield her from everything. And it was hours, Tahvo, you can't imagine. Don't diminish my feelings!"_

_Calliope resisted the urge to squirm. She'd never heard her parents speak to each other so harshly._

_Father sat gently on the bed and Calliope did her best to stealthily open her eyes to look at her twin. He was looking right back at her, luckily their parents hadn't noticed. _

_"You're right, I can't. And I apologize for dismissing your concerns. But why didn't you just call an elf to find her?" _

_There was a beat of silence. "I'm so stupid, I didn't even think of that."_

_"Of course you're not, you were just worried. But next time, call an elf. Now, should we put these two to bed?"_

_Calliope felt her mother's arms tighten around her and Teddy was pulled closer to them both. _

_"No, I want them here with me tonight." _

_There was a low chuckle Calliope hardly ever heard from her father. "As you wish." _

_0000000000_

_Three weeks later:_

_Narcissa was seated in the waiting area of the auror department, her best friend at her side, Teddy cuddled on Daisy's lap. Draco was seated at Narcissa's other side, slumped against her, his cheek pressed against her swollen belly. _

_She realized that the boys probably shouldn't be here, shouldn't be subjected to anything they might hear about the way the little girl who was so precious to them all had apparently been taken from them. But neither she nor Daisy had been able to help themselves and they'd asked Lucius to bring them both along with him: they'd been spending the day together at Malfoy Manor. After the events of today she wasn't certain either of them would ever be able to let their boys out of their sight again. _

_She would have appreciated more privacy, but she was aware that neither her family nor the Notts were popular with the law enforcement of magical Britain. Her family and their's had both made advances repairing their reputations since the Dark Lord had been vanquished, but the aurors remained wary. In the deepest parts of her soul, she couldn't even blame them. _

_Lucius had taken a meeting with...somebody, trying to get them to put more people on the case when Tahvo strode in. He had been in France on business for the day, and it had taken hours to track him down and find him a portkey. _

_Draco didn't even lift his head at the sight of his godfather, he just sniffled pitifully. They'd tried to spare him and Teddy both from the events of the day, but she knew that they probably weren't doing a particularly good job. And even if the boys hadn't managed to overhear anything, they were smart and they that knew Calla wasn't where she was supposed to be: with them. _

_Teddy reached for his father as he approached, but the man didn't seem to see him. _

_"What happened!" He barked._

_Narcissa was offended on her godson and her friend's sake by his tone, but she stayed silent. She could also understand that he was distraught. _

_"I don't know!" Daisy wailed, her curls had long fallen out of her chignon and were wild about her face; she pushed at them with her free hand. "She was there and then she was just gone. At first we thought that she might just be hiding, that she got bored and was playing a game, though she should know better than that! But she's- she's not in the shop or any of the surrounding ones! I should have called the aurors sooner. I'm so sorry love!"_

_"Hey," he knelt at her side. "It's okay. Our Calliope likes her games. Did you call an elf?"_

_At this point Daisy burst into tears. "I forgot again. I'm a terrible mother."_

_"Of course you're not," he murmured, wiping away her tears with his fingers. It was the most tender Narcissa had ever seen him behave in public as he was usually even more stoic than her own husband."Let's just try it now. Cokie!" He called._

_The little being Narcissa knew well as the head Nott elf popped in. She was almost trembling, her eyes watery and afraid. Narcissa was sure that she already knew that something was wrong, and her heart sank. _

_"Cokie, I need you to find Miss Calliope." Tahvo ordered quietly. _

_She nodded vigorously and went to pop away...nothing happened. Her eyes went wide. "Cokie cannot find Miss Calla, Cokie can't even feel Miss Calla," she finished, almost on a sob. "Cokie is sorry, what can she be doing?" _

_Tahvo bowed his head and clasped his wife's hand, finally taking Teddy's with the other. "Return to your duties," Tahvo answered. _

_The elf nodded but Narcissa could see the heartbreak in her eyes. Calla was a favorite between the elves of both families, as it had been many decades since any of them had had a little girl to dote on. And that gave Narcissa an idea. _

_"Perhaps I could ask Moxie to try," Narcissa suggested. "If she was taken," she continued hesitantly, "perhaps those in question thought to block the Nott elves but not the Malfoy elves."_

_It was a longshot and they all knew it, but considering that she was Draco's betrothed the Malfoy elves regarded Calliope as one of the family. Narcissa couldn't ignore the possibility that they might be able to find her. And Moxie, as her personal elf, was closest to the little girl. Almost all of the others were under the command of her Father-in-law and she wanted to keep that callous man out of this situation for as long as possible._

_"Worth a try," Tahvo agreed. He was still kneeling on the floor next to his wife so he had to look up with her. His gaze didn't hold much hope. _

_She just nodded at him. "Moxie," she called._

_"Yes Mistress," she appeared nearly instantaneously, looking even more upset than Cokie had been. Narcissa felt her heart sink even further. Calliope was a Nott, but she and Draco were bonded, it was a relationship the elves considered sacred and so the Malfoy elves kept a close eye on them both._

_"Could you bring Miss Calliope to us, please?"_

_The elf's eyes welled with tears and she shook her head. "Moxie is sorry but she can't. Master Draco has been longing for her all afternoon and we wanted to relieve his stress, so we searched and searched but we could not even feel her!" _

_Daisy let out a choked sob. Draco squirmed always nst her, and Narcissa finally realized that along with so many other things, her son's magic felt...wrong. It was like he was in mourning. She turned her head away from her friends and clapped her free hand over her mouth to suppress her own sob. _

_No. Please no._

**Author's Note: So apparently I was bitten with the angst bug. I'm not actually sure. It's so weird for that to happen to me I don't know that I would recognize it. That said, along with being a bonus chapter because y'all are so awesome and gifted me with 1k reviews, this chapter does serve a purpose. I'm not just trying to make you sad. The next one is almost ready and it will be up by tomorrow and we finally get to see Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Ministry Six. Thank you guys so much!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Theo actually did have something to retrieve from his dorm. The sight of that jewelry box in Draco's hands had made him think of it. The fact that it would help him escape witnessing what was certain to be a _very_ uncomfortable conversation was just icing on the cake. Calla had always been very possessive of Draco and he doubted that had changed.

He was a little ashamed to admit that he'd never confronted Draco about his behavior with Pansy in the past. But it had felt too painful to discuss his twin, so he'd just ignored it. He knew Calliope would make Draco pay for being so indiscreet and disrespectful- she may have been missing but they'd remained betrothed. In fact, Draco had _fought_ for their betrothal. He never should have allowed the attentions of another witch, even as innocent as Theo believed those attentions had ultimately been. So, Theo made a mental note to get in a good punch or two as well, he had ten years of not being able to defend his sister to make up for.

He returned to the infirmary, clutching a jewelry box in his hand and cautiously opened the door to his twin's room. She and Draco were cuddled on the bed, wrapped up in each other, they appeared to be recovering from a laughing fit. Draco was chuckling, stroking Calla's hair and she had her face buried in his neck, but every few moments she would let out a giggle.

When he seated himself on the edge of the mattress she sat up immediately and sent him a beaming smile. "Look, Twin!" She extended her arm in his direction so that he could admire the new bracelet around her wrist.

He gave Draco an approving nod. This was a worthy gift which appropriately denoted Draco's love and respect for his sister- he still planned to get in that punch.

"Well, I can't let Draco have all the glory," he said, "I have something for you too," he placed the jewelry box in her hand.

As she flipped it open she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth when she spotted the signet ring nestled within. "Teddy, is this Mother's ring?" She gasped.

He shook his head. "She was-" he swallowed back tears, "she was buried with her ring, but when Father had mine commissioned before I came to school he had one made for you too. We really didn't ever give up on you Calla, but I think it was too hard for him to hold onto it, so he gave it to me. Honestly, I think he was hoping I'd find you at Hogwarts."

She removed the ring from the box and slipped it onto her right hand and then rubbed the pad of one finger over the Nott crest with something like reverence.

"Thank you for keeping this for me, Teddy." She leaned forward and embraced him. When she pulled away he saw that Draco was looking at her, obviously lost in thought and Calla seemed to notice it too. "What?" She asked.

"Calla," said Draco softly, "did you ever wonder if you'd come from a magical family, I mean, after you found out you were a witch?"

Theo looked at Draco, startled. How had he not yet considered that?

"Of course," she responded, "but nobody recognized me when I came to Hogwarts. Considering that magical Britain is so small I really should have been if I was from a magical family. So we- my adopted parents and I- assumed it was as we originally thought."

"Which was what?" Theo prompted her.

She took a deep breath. "I was found in a muggle hospital, alone, well dressed, and speaking with a posh accent, also I was completely uninjured. I just couldn't remember anything about myself. They thought I had been temporarily traumatized by something- like witnessing a car accident or a mugging- and was just in shock. They expected somebody to come for me at any moment." She bowed her head. "But nobody ever did. Now I know why. Our parents wouldn't have known how to search for me in the muggle world, they wouldn't have even thought to try."

Theo took a deep breath and considered this. "I don't know if they searched in the muggle world, they tried to keep me out of it," he admitted, "but from what Professor Snape said, the magic that was used on you would have kept them from recognizing you anyway, even if you were right in front of their faces."

She gave him a sad smile. "You're right." She took a deep breath. "Anyway, once my adoptive parents took me in, we didn't really talk about it, there wasn't any point… until we found out that I was a witch. When I left for Hogwarts the first time I half-way expected to be recognized at any moment."

"Did you want to be?" Theo asked quietly.

"More than anything," and the way she practically gasped the sentence made Theo's heart hurt. "I wanted answers so badly," she continued, ignorant of his thoughts. "Even if it wasn't good news, if my birth family didn't want anything to do with me. I told myself that it was better to just know. I originally planned to do some research once I reached Hogwarts to see if I could find anything, but I made some tentative inquiries with Madam Pince and her responses quickly clued me in that adoption outside of one's family is taboo in the magical world and I didn't want to draw any more attention to myself, so I gave up on that idea. Now that I know what I know I wonder if it would have mattered, if I would have even been able to recognize myself if I'd found news about my kidnapping?"

"I'm sorry Calla," he breathed.

"It's no matter, I'm here now." She smiled and looked back and forth between them meeting both their eyes. "I mean that. Anyway, after I'd been at Hogwarts for an entire year I stopped expecting anybody to claim me. At that point my parents came up with a theory: I truly was a muggleborn, but I'd had a bit of accidental magic that frightened my birth parents so badly that they just left me at the hospital, while simultaneously frightening me so much that I lost my memories. I had some pretty intense bouts of accidental magic, and muggles can be really superstitious, so it seemed to be a sound enough theory."

"Oh I remember," said he and Draco in tandem.

It was impossible to forget some of the things she'd done as a child. She was a powerful witch, without a doubt, but it wasn't just that. She had an unmatchable temper that was reflected in her magic. Memory alteration wouldn't have changed her fundamental nature.

She giggled. "I was kind of a brat wasn't I?"

"No," they immediately denied.

She giggled again. "It's okay boys, I'm not going to blast you across the room." Her giggles turned into another beatific smile, "my boys!" She exclaimed, hooking an arm around both of their necks and pulling them close.

But then Theo felt her body go rigid.

"What is it?" He asked.

"My boys," she repeated.

"We're here," he assured her, "you'll be lucky if we ever leave you alone again."

"Good luck keeping me locked away," she snorted, "but that's not what I meant. I can't believe I didn't think of this before! Merlin, I'm so muddled! I need to talk to Harry and Ron...and the rest of them. They must be so worried! Not to mention that they deserve to hear about all of this from me, they're my friends, they shouldn't hear it through the rumor mill, you know how Hogwarts can be. With Aunt Cissa here people are bound to start speculating and I imagine we'll be putting out that statement by tomorrow."

Theo exchanged a look with Draco over Calliope's head and knew immediately that they were sharing similar thoughts. Neither of them believed that her friends were just going to accept this news with a simple conversation and the confrontation wasn't an experience either of them particularly wanted her to have to endure. But they were both aware of her stubbornness, it didn't appear to be something that had changed about her. Meaning that there would be no stopping her.

"I'll go with you," they said simultaneously.

That made her laugh. "That's very sweet, but I don't know if it's a good idea."

"At least take Theo," Draco argued immediately, "I understand that there's a lot of bad blood between me and your friends, but Theo hasn't done anything to them." He shot Theo another look that he couldn't possibly misinterpret- 'take care of her.'

Theo rolled his eyes but he appreciated the other wizard's capitulation. He remembered enough about his twin, and had witnessed enough about Hermione Granger to know that if this devolved into a battle of wills, she would win, and he did not want her facing the Gryffindors alone.

"I suppose that would be okay." She gave them a sheepish smile. "I may be brave enough to have been sorted into Gryffindor, but if I'm being honest I'm not sure this is something I relish facing by myself. It's all so...complicated."

And that's how Theo found himself sitting at the foot of a hospital bed with his sister beside him, holding her hand, surrounded by four typical Gryffindors and one very odd Ravenclaw. They all appeared mildly interested, except for Potter who had a blank look on his face, and Ron Weasley whose complexion had taken on a very unflattering shade of bright red which clashed spectacularly with his hair. It appeared as if he was ready to explode- maybe even literally.

"Thank you all for coming," Calliope began calmly, "I know most of you have been discharged but Madam Pomfrey won't let me leave the hospital wing yet and I needed to talk to you."

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Longbottom asked calmly, "you got hit the worst and we weren't allowed to see you. They made it sound like you were contagious or something."

Calla frowned and Theo could imagine what she was thinking. He was grateful for the time they'd had alone with her but it was very strange that somebody appeared to have actively been trying to prevent her friends from seeing her.

She recovered quickly. "I will be," she smiled at Longbottom, "thank you for asking."

"What the hell are you doing with Nott, have you been secretly dating him or something?" Weasley, unfortunately, found his voice.

Theo glanced at Calla, her eyes had gone wide. "What, oh no!" She laughed and squeezed his hand. He could see the amusement over that idea written all over her face, but he felt the tension in the room ratchet up a few notches. He looked around warily trying to gauge her friends reactions. He didn't think they would take kindly to her casual amusement. "Teddy- Theo," she corrected herself, "is my brother."

Until that moment Theo had never understood the term 'oppressive silence.' He felt like he was drowning but he didn't dare break it, he couldn't imagine what it was doing to his twin.

"Holy mother of Merlin," Longbottom finally whispered, leaning forward to get a better look at Calla, "you're the Little Girl Lost."

Both Weasleys gasped and Theo's heart lurched. He absolutely hated that name. He hated how they spoke of her like she was some sort of myth and not his very real sister.

"Is that what they call me?"

He realized she was talking to him, her head tilted, peering at him through her lashes. He just nodded but she must have seen the devastation on his face.

"Oh Teddy, I'm so sorry," she gasped, "that's terrible. That's almost as bad as what they call Harry. What is with this society, nicknaming little kids after the worst thing that ever happened to them?"

Theo had never given any thought to what it meant for Potter to be called the 'Boy Who Lived,' it had literally never crossed his mind, but his kind hearted twin obviously had. He gave her a tight smile, "it's okay, you're not lost anymore."

She threw her arms around his neck. "I love you so much!" She whispered in his ear. His eyes fell shut: the last person to hug him or to say that to him had been his mother, but Calla seemed determined to make up for lost time. She'd done both no less than ten times since last night. It was wonderful. He couldn't even bring himself to care that they had an audience.

"Will somebody please tell the stupid muggle raised kid what's going on since everybody else already seems to know?" Potter's voice interrupted their moment. It was hard, there was no kindness in it for his injured friend, Theo hadn't even seen the other wizard look at her since he'd arrived. Theo had to resist the urge to snap at him. He was going to have to rein in his instincts when it came to Calliope. It was a very good thing Draco wasn't here.

Calla pulled herself out of his arms and turned back to her friends. "I apologize, I think we've skipped a few steps. My name is Calliope Nott and Teddy- Theo, isn't just my brother, he's my twin," she beamed at him. She had always been so proud of that fact, like sharing a womb with him was the most important thing she had ever done and she had wanted everybody to know it, to the point that it had become her nickname for him. "But it's okay if you want to keep calling me Hermione. I- I don't really know where to start-"

"It's a famous story from when we were little, Harry," Longbottom supplied. "Lady Nott was shopping with her daughter and she just disappeared without a trace. People panicked, the Notts are a prominent family, you see. Gram didn't take me to Diagon Alley again for years after it happened." He frowned. "But I don't understand Hermione, why have you been hiding all this time, and why are you telling us now?"

"She didn't know, Neville," Lovegood interrupted, her voice dreamy but also certain.

Calla nodded vigorously in agreement. "I was kidnapped, I don't know how, I don't remember that part." She responded, lifting her hand to scratch at her wound. Theo snagged her wrist and pulled her hand away before she could hurt herself. She shot him a grateful smile. "This is just a lot to take in at once, I'm still getting it all straight. Anyway, I just know that when I was five years old I woke up in the muggle world not remembering anything about my life and when I woke up last night it had all come back. Professor Snape thinks that I was memory charmed and magic was cast on me to keep anybody from recognizing me and when I was cursed in the Ministry it shattered that magic."

"Snape?" Potter hissed.

"Professor Snape," she responded in that prissy tone Theo easily recognized. "Yes Harry. He's the one who healed me and also the one who recognized me first, he was also the one who made sure Theo was with me when I woke up. I'm very grateful to him."

"So you've just been lying to us for years!" Weasley raged, lurching towards them, and Theo instinctively pulled Calliope against him, but she didn't flinch.

"No, Ronald," she responded in that bossy way she'd always had, both as a little girl and as Hermione Granger, "like I just told you, I didn't know because I didn't remember and nobody was able to recognize me."

"But you knew that your parents weren't your real parents."

"I knew that my parents weren't my _biological _parents, but I won't apologize for not sharing that, it was personal and none of your business. Not to mention that it's taboo in the magical world to be adopted outside of your family. I didn't want to make myself any more of an outsider than I already was, so I kept it to myself. What does it matter anyway?"

"We're friends, we're supposed to be best friends! Friends tell each other things."

Theo had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Did this idiot think he had a right to know every thought that crossed her mind? Especially because she was right, her family circumstances were her business and he was glad she'd been smart enough to keep quiet. The derision she already faced would have only gotten worse if it had been known that not only had she been raised in the muggle world, but that she didn't even know who her parents were. As a pureblood, Weasley should have understood that.

"Yes, they do. But I maintain that I'm still entitled to my privacy. I didn't do it to be malicious. And I'm telling you now. You're the first people to know after my brother, my betrothed, and my godmother, for Merlin's sake!"

"It doesn't matter Ron!" Potter snapped and finally turning to look at them instead of just staring blankly into the distance.

Theo had heard rumors over the years. Rumors which claimed that Potter was a powerful and dangerous wizard. Until this moment he hadn't really believed any of them. He'd just believed the Gryffindor had a larger than normal amount of nerve. But now Theo saw it. Because if looks could kill, he'd be dead right now.

"What matters is that she's sitting here with him right now, all cozy, like he isn't scum."

There was a beat of silence

"He isn't!" Calla yelled, and Theo reached out for her hand again. If she got too worked up she could re-injure herself.

"His father is a Death Eater! He's the reason Sirius is dead!" Potter countered.

"And my father is his father, which means that my father is a Death Eater. But what happened isn't Teddy's fault, he had no more to do with it than I did!"

Potter narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that so? Or is this the real reason you took your sweet time getting us away from Hogwarts that night?! Stalling for Daddy?"

Calliope collapsed against Theo, her eyes wide and wet. "How could you think that of me?"

And in that moment Theo wondered if he might have more luck killing Potter than the Dark Lord had.

**Author's Note: Should I run for cover? I know a lot of you were hoping that Harry would be supportive. However, in preparation for writing this fic I re-read a good portion of OotP and Harry is an absolute emotional disaster in that book, I'd argue more than in any of the others. Now, he has some very good reasons, if he wasn't he'd be a sociopath, but he does tend to inappropriately take it out on his friends. I couldn't think of any realistic scenario where he took this news well. That's not to say he won't come around, but for now he's a ball of fury and Hermione is a convenient target. Sorry to leave it here but this confrontation was too long for one chapter, plus I wanted to write the rest of it from Hermione's POV. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

In hindsight Hermione could see that it was probably a mistake to allow Teddy to stay with her when she met with her friends. It kept her from being able to ease into the news of her identity. Not that she imagined there was really a way to ease into such a thing.

However, his presence basically threw it in their faces. She simply hadn't considered that to her he was the sweet boy who used to steal treats from the kitchens and build forts to hide in during storms, her beloved twin. She was proud of him and she wanted them to know him.

But to them he was a stranger. She was fairly certain that the sum total of what they knew about him was that he was a fifth-year pureblood Slytherin whose father was a Death Eater. Not really a good place to start. Despite that, at the moment she was very glad he was there because she needed him to literally lean on.

She took several deep breaths and tried to listen to the rational part of her brain that was telling her that Harry didn't mean it. That he probably felt blindsided by somebody he trusted. He was in mourning. And he'd already had a terrible year. Between nearly everybody calling him a liar-again- then Umbridge, Mr. Weasley's injury, and Voldemort breaking into his mind at his leisure. She felt slimy even thinking about it.

Her rational mind knew these things. But feelings aren't rational, and Harry's words _hurt._

"Don't talk to my sister like that," Teddy snapped.

"It's okay," she tried to protest, but her words sounded weak to her own ears.

"It is not okay!" Teddy whispered fiercely.

"I'll talk to _my friend_ anyway I please, it's none of your business Nott!"

"It is my business when you're hurting somebody I love! Look at her, Potter, look at her face, look how you've hurt her!"

Harry crossed his arms over his chest, now looking more petulant than angry. "She has a lot to answer for."

"She has a lot to answer for?" Teddy raged incredulously "What about you? When you came into this room the first thing she did was ask after you and give you her condolences, and you didn't even glance in her direction, much less ask how she was doing. She can barely sit up without help because she was almost killed following you on some half-arsed rescue mission that she warned you was a trap! She just told you that she was kidnapped as a child, that she just got the memories of the first five years of her life back, but you don't show any concern for her. No, all you can do is throw wild accusations at her! You really are the self-centered prick Draco's claimed you were all these years."

Hermione sat in stunned silence at her brother's passionate defense of her. Finally, she opened her mouth to say something to diffuse the tension, though she didn't know what she would say, but Ginny beat her to it.

"He is not, you don't know anything about Harry!"

Teddy's eyes narrowed. "Really? We may not know each other well but we've gone to school together for five years and I have eyes, and do you know what I've seen? I saw my sister stand by him all those years, no matter how many times this entire castle turned against him, no matter what it cost her," he turned to look at Harry again, "isn't that right Potter?"

Harry nodded miserably.

"She risked her life for you," Teddy continued, "she almost died and it took you all of two minutes to turn on her, all because she had something to tell you that you didn't like. Think whatever you want about me. Call me whatever names you like. I honestly couldn't give a fuck, but she deserves better."

There was a long tense silence during which Hermione was finally able to pull herself together.

"Harry, I really am very sorry about Sirius," she began softly. "He was your family and I know what it's like to lose your family, I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I know this is a lot to take in. I wish I could have found a better way to tell you but, well, I guess I've finally found something there isn't a book for," she thought she saw his lips twitch slightly at her attempt at a joke. "Or that I could have waited to tell you when you were in less pain, but I didn't want to hide it and I didn't want you to find out from a newspaper." She pursed her lips. "And for the record I don't blame you that I got hurt, it was my decision to go to the Ministry." She paused again and sighed. "I don't know what else to say."

He took his glasses off and rubbed his face vigorously. "You _said _you were going to be okay. That's what you _said_. But Nott keeps saying you almost died!"

"I'm going to be fine," she answered quietly.

He looked up and held her gaze for a long time, like he was trying to read her soul, and eventually nodded once.

"Wait!" Interrupted Ron, "that's it? you're just going to accept this?! Her and her Death Eater father and brother!"

"Ronald," said Luna, "that's not fair. It's not Hermione's fault that her father has an infestation of wrackspurts. And she's right about Theodore, he's clean." She turned to look at Hermione. "Speaking of, where's Draco? I'm surprised he's not here, he seems the protective sort. I'd like to meet him and ask him how he pretends to have an infestation when he doesn't, that's terribly hard to do."

Hermione just blinked at her friend for a few moments. "How did you know about Draco?" She whispered.

Luna shrugged. "People don't notice me so I see things they might not normally want to be seen."

Well, if that wasn't terribly sad then Hermione didn't know what was. She made a note at the back of her mind to pay better attention to the waifish blonde- even if she did drive her crazy much of the time.

"Wait, Draco? You mean Malfoy? What does he have to do with any of this?" Interjected Neville with a confused frown.

"Oh Merlin," Teddy breathed. "Want me to handle this one?" He murmured to her.

She shook her head. But oh Merlin, indeed. Out of the frying pan into the fire. She looked down, fiddling with the hem of her pajama top, then back up and into each of her friends' faces in turn. She would not give the impression that she was ashamed.

"Draco is...mine," she stumbled over the words and then forced herself to sit up straight and proud when she heard the hesitation in her voice. "My betrothed," she clarified more confidently.

Neville's mouth dropped open. Harry and Ron leapt up and screamed 'what!' in tandem. But it was the anger that darkened Ginny's face that surprised her.

"You're going to marry Malfoy?" Ginny seethed.

"Yes, but please just let me explain."

"How could you Hermione?!" Ginny glared at her, eyes glassy, fists balled at her sides. "You know how that family treats my family! His father tried to kill me, for Godric's sake!"

"But Draco didn't know anything about that!" Hermione blurted. "He was the one who figured out it was a basilisk, he helped save you!"

That brought everybody up short.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's not a monster, Ginny. He puts on a good show, he has an image to maintain, but there's a whole other side to him you've never seen. He didn't want anybody to be seriously hurt...he didn't want me to be hurt. We have this connection, we have since we were little and he was compelled to protect me even when he didn't know that I was Calliope."

Ron scoffed.

She turned to him, looked back and forth between him and Harry. "It's true, remember at the World Cup? He warned us about the Death Eaters!"

"That sounded like a threat to me, Hermione," Harry snorted.

"It wasn't, I promise. He even made sure to check on me later. And then this year, we never could have run the D.A. for as long as we did without him!"

"He was the one who helped Umbridge track us down!"

"Well, once Marietta had told on us he really didn't have a choice. But before that he would keep me informed about the patrol schedules of the Inquisitorial Squad so that we could avoid them. I know for a fact that he saw people sneaking back to their dorms more than once and just pretended not to. And, I know you don't like him, but you have to admit, Draco is talented with a wand. Do you really believe it was as easy as it seemed to get away from him so that you could follow me and Harry the other night?"

"You're saying he let us go?" Asked Ginny, arms crossed over her chest- she had been the one to 'overpower' Draco with a bat bogey hex.

"I'm saying he didn't put up as much of a fight as he could have. Remember he tried to come with us into the Forest, but Umbridge wasn't having it. So he figured if he couldn't have my back, then the four of you were the next best thing."

"Maybe he just wanted us to be free to go to the Ministry with you."

Hermione sighed. "He didn't know anything about the Ministry beforehand, I'd swear my life on it. And anyway, that argument doesn't make any sense, if he was helping lure Harry to the Ministry, he wouldn't have sent him back-up."

There was a beat of silence as the logic of that seemed to sink in amongst the group.

"So you _have_ been keeping secrets all this time," Ron set his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. "_His_ secrets."

Hermione sighed, her thoughts vacillating between annoyance and a grudging admittance that they had a right to be angry and speculative. "I didn't enjoy it. But he was defying his whole family by helping me. More than that, at least since Voldemort came back, he's been putting himself at great personal risk by doing so, and he didn't ask for anything in return. It was the least I could do to keep quiet."

"What about Buckbeak? Or all the times he called you a mudblood?" Asked Harry.

"Look, I'm not saying he's an angel, just that it's...complicated."

"He's actually kind of an arsehole," Neville said quietly, an apologetic look on his face.

Hermione almost laughed, because couldn't argue with that. She loved Draco, but that didn't mean she didn't know that he could be a first class arsehole. In fact, she was certain that he was rather proud of it. It was the only side of him anybody in this room had ever seen and she suspected it was the only side Harry and Ron _wanted _to see. They enjoyed hating him as much as Draco enjoyed riling them up.

"This is true, but I do have some influence over him, I'll try to curtail some of his worst tendencies." She shot Neville a tentative smile.

Neville nodded, but he looked dubious.

"But you're going to _marry_ him?" Demanded Harry.

"Well, yes. I don't expect you to understand right now, I know it will take some getting used to. But I love him. We've been promised to each other since we were very little, I'm not going to abandon him now. Especially now that I know what it feels like to lose him."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and Hermione got an ominous feeling. She squeezed Teddy's hand and he returned the gesture.

"But you could, you don't _have_ to marry him. You can forget all about him. Stay away from him and his evil family, and the Notts," Ron insisted.

It was like somebody was dumping a load of bricks on her chest, the pressure only increasing with every word that Ron spoke.

Why did everybody keep suggesting that? Didn't they understand what it had been like to live without these people she loved?

She'd cut out her own heart before she willingly left Draco again. And that set her mind racing, far away from this conversation.

Because what if she didn't have a choice? What if Voldemort came for them? What if Draco or Teddy were hurt or killed? What if it happened because of her?

_What if._

What if.

**What if.**

She took in a gasping breath and her injured chest burned.

"I think you need to choose Hermione, how else can we trust you? Us or them?" Ron demanded and she realized he had approached and was leaning towards her.

Teddy was pulling on her, trying to get her away from her redheaded friend.

"Ron stop this," she vaguely heard Neville say. "Harry, back me up here, can't you see he's scaring her."

"He has a point though," responded Harry, his voice had become detached again.

"You don't mean that," argued Luna, tugging on Ron's arm. "Ginny help me before he does something he'll regret."

But before anybody could react, Ron jerked his arm out of her grasp. But he overcompensated and it swung towards Hermione. He was only able to stop just short of hitting her.

Even from the place where she'd retreated into her head she knew it had been an accident, that he hadn't been trying to physically threaten her. But she had been walking a very fine line controlling her emotions not just for the duration of this conversation, but since she'd originally woken up from her injury, and the surprise of this action had her toppling over it.

"Stop!" She shrieked.

"Back up, Weasley!" Teddy demanded, frantically trying to pull her further up the bed. But she couldn't breathe, much less aid him. "Draco!" Teddy yelled.

The whole conversation thus far had been like witnessing a train wreck in slow motion, but after that it became a blur. Draco's pale head was suddenly in front of her. Ron was shouting, pushing him, and she launched herself off the bed and between them.

Pain.

So much pain.

Then nothing.

For the second time in twenty-four hours she woke to the feeling of hands clasping hers but she knew before she opened her eyes that it wasn't Teddy this time.

"Dragon?" She murmured.

"Hey," Draco practically cooed. She'd never heard him sound like that before.

"Why's my tongue so heavy?" She slurred.

He chuckled. "You got the good potions for the pain. I guess they'd already mostly worn off when you woke up last night."

"What happened?"

"You tore your wound open trying to defend me from the Weasel, you silly witch. Something which was entirely unnecessary, by the way."

"Teddy?"

"Theo's fine. I think he's doing a few dozen laps around the Black Lake to calm down from witnessing that conversation with your friends and from me pulling rank and kicking him out of here."

She finally forced her eyes open and just peered at him, urging him to clarify.

"Like I said, you tore your wound open. Madam Pomfrey had to completely re-dress it. I didn't want to leave you by yourself, but I figured you probably didn't want your brother to see you half naked, so as I said, as your betrothed I pulled rank."

Her head began to clear and she groaned as his meaning sunk in. "That's really not how I wanted you to see me without a top for the first time."

"If it helps, I didn't look at anything you know...private." He averted his eyes but she didn't get the impression that it was because he was lying.

"Do I look that bad that you weren't even tempted to sneak a peek?" She was aiming for a teasing tone but she knew it came up lacking.

His eyes shot back to her face. "You're beautiful," he kissed her knuckles once, twice, three times. "But Merlin, Calla, they nearly cut you in half."

She took a shuddering breath and winced.

"Careful," he whispered.

"My friends," she began, swallowing thickly.

"Hold on," he interrupted and helped her take a few sips of water from a glass at her bedside.

"Thank you." He gave her a tight smile and a nod and she squeezed the hand she still held in hers. "What happened with them, by the way?"

"To give them credit," he made a face, "they were all pretty horrified when they realized that you'd hurt yourself again. Longbottom and Lovegood both hung around outside to make sure you were okay and they asked for updates on your condition. I'm not sure about Potter and the Weasleys."

"Yeah, well, it was always going to be more difficult with them. It was silly of me not to consider that."

"I'm sorry." The look she gave him must had shown her disbelief because he laughed. "I actually mean that...it's weird."

"It's because you love me. Hurting me hurts you, believe me, I know."

"I s'posse."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as she did a mental inventory of her physical condition and just ran his fingers through her hair.

"Anyway," she continued, when her potioned brain finally got back on track, "what I wanted to say was that my friends were so...disgusted by the idea of Father and Uncle Lucius. At what they are and what they did."

Draco just nodded.

"And," she licked her lips, "I feel like such a hypocrite because when they were saying it, I felt so angry and defensive of our families."

"I understand."

"I love Father and Uncle Lucius, I doubt anything could change that. But I think I kind of hate them too." She squeezed her eyes shut and willed away her tears.

"It's okay, it's okay," he soothed.

She caught her breath and opened her eyes to look into his concerned grey ones. "I'm not sure I can ever forgive them."

He didn't hesitate before he spoke. "Me either."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Tahvo Nott was tired. Not simply because it was all but impossible to sleep crammed in along with his fellow Death Eaters into the Ministry holding cells which had never been meant to house prisoners long term. It went much deeper than that.

He'd been exhausted before this ordeal even started. Long before their Lord had been resurrected. He felt the bone deep weariness of a person who had been living too many years with a broken heart.

He was only 65, barely middle aged for a wizard. Despite that he didn't expect to be on this mortal plane for more than a few more years. Probably less now that he was headed to Azkaban. He had accepted it. In fact, it would be a relief. If he was very lucky the afterlife really existed and he would get to see his Daisy and maybe his Calla again.

He didn't know if he hoped for or dreaded the possibility that Calliope was with her mother.

His only regret would be leaving Theodore behind. Though he didn't think his son would miss him much. The boy had basically raised himself.

He was proud of Theo. He worked hard, kept his nose clean. He would make a fine Head of House- Tahvo had at least managed not to neglect his education on those duties. However, he'd never really known how to connect with his son.

Even before Calliope's kidnapping and Daisy's death their relationship had been awkward. It had been easy to dote on his daughter, but Theo was his heir, and he'd felt that their relationship should be more formal. It was how his own father had treated him.

He now thought that decision had been a mistake, but he believed he eventually would have found his footing with his son, with the help of his wife. But then after he'd lost both of his witches he had also lost the will to connect with his remaining child. He now knew for certain that was a mistake, but he didn't know how to remedy it, and he thought that it was probably too late. Even if he got out of Azkaban, Theo was virtually grown. Tahvo was not foolish enough to think he'd be interested in being parented.

Too little, too late, as they said.

Hopefully his son would be smart enough to find a way to stay out of the clutches of the Dark Lord. It was obvious to him now that being a Death Eater brought nothing but trouble. He hoped Theo knew that he wouldn't begrudge him the desire to escape that fate. He couldn't help but torture himself and ask why he hadn't simply been honest with his son?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sharp bark of his name. "Malfoy! Nott! You have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Lucius asked.

"Your wife," the auror answered. Tahvo couldn't see him, but he could hear the sneer in his voice.

"And she wants to see _both_ of us," Lucius said incredulously and with more than a little resentment.

Tahvo couldn't blame him. This might be the last time the man saw Narcissa for a long time. In Lucius' place he would want some privacy as well- not that he thought the aurors would actually leave them alone, but that was a separate issue.

"She has a solicitor with her, says it's House business. It must be serious for her to have gotten clearance to see her husband, much less a non-family member," the auror explained, his irritation continued to be obvious.

Tahvo knew he didn't hide his surprise at that statement well, which was a little embarrassing. But even though Houses Nott and Malfoy were still politically affiliated, they hadn't had any true House business in more than ten years. Nevertheless he said nothing, just moved to the door of his cell, allowed himself to be shackled, and then be led down the narrow hallway to an interrogation room. He could hear Lucius moving behind him. He was basically shoved into a chair and Lucius into the one next to him. The ones across the table were empty.

It was several silent minutes before the door opposite the one they'd entered opened and Narcissa entered, followed by Boris Selwyn, the solicitor of record for both Houses Nott and Malfoy. She was perfectly coiffed as always, her pale blue robes seemed entirely out of place in this grimy, badly lit room, and she looked around with a little moue of distaste.

She waited for Boris to pull out a chair for her and then seated herself primly. Tahvo smirked. Her behavior was just so...typical, normal, and therefore, a relief. But then she met Lucius' eyes and Tahvo felt his heart lurch in his chest at the look they exchanged. Merlin, he missed his wife.

"Hello love," she greeted Lucius, then she turned to him, "Tahvo."

"Narcissa," they said in tandem.

She went to reach for Lucius but then seemed to think better of it. "They told me no physical contact," she explained

"It's okay, Cissa, I understand," Lucius assured her. "You're well, and Draco? Have you heard from him?"

She sat up a little straighter and smiled. "I'm well and so is Draco. In fact, I've seen him." She looked to him. "I've actually seen Theodore too. They are both holding up. Perhaps surprisingly they are...leaning on each other. I wish it was under different circumstances, but it was good to see them together again. I think Theo is looking forward to spending his summer holidays with us. I assure you that I'll take good care of him."

Tahvo nodded in acknowledgement and let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn't lie to him about his son's well being. "I have every faith in you, Narcissa."

She looked at him and held his gaze. "Thank you."

"Why were you at Hogwarts?" Lucius asked suddenly.

"Well, that brings me to the reason I'm here. I have some news," she said.

Tahvo frowned. When he'd spotted Boris he'd assumed Narcissa had come to have him sign some parchment work to ensure that she could take custody of Theodore. It shouldn't have been strictly necessary, given all the legal protections they'd already put into place. However, Narcissa was nothing if not meticulous. It was something he's always appreciated about her. But then what did she mean when she said that she had news? What could possibly have happened in the span of two days?

"It's Calliope." She continued and Tahvo's heart stopped. "She's been found, she's safe," she hastened to explain. "In fact, that's why I was at Hogwarts. She's there. She's with Draco and Theo and she's-" she let out a sound that was part laugh, part sob, "she's absolutely beautiful. We are going to have the most gorgeous grandchildren."

Tahvo found himself unable to speak so he was grateful when Lucius asked the question he so desperately wanted the answer to.

"And she's well?"

"Yes."

"She's at Hogwarts?" Lucius continued on a rush. "How did she get there? Are you certain it's her?"

Narcissa sniffed. "Would I be here telling you this if I wasn't certain? I wouldn't do that to either of you. It's obviously her, she's the spitting image of Daisy. In fact for a moment-" she looked away from them and took a deep breath while she removed a handkerchief from her bag to dab her eyes. "For a moment I thought I'd gone back in time. The resemblance is unmistakable. Personally I didn't need any more proof. But she and Theodore discussed it, they didn't want anybody questioning her claim or attempting to deny her her inheritance, so they did a fraternity test. It was positive."

Tahvo let out a whoosh of a breath. "She's well, you say?" He croaked. He thought he could probably ask the question a hundred more times and still have trouble believing it.

"She is."

"But how has she been all these years? Where has she been? Has she been happy? Was she well treated?" He rubbed his hands vigorously over his face, no longer caring how he appeared as his heart pounded in his chest and he choked back tears.

"Well," Narcissa began to look distinctly nervous, she actually squirmed in her seat, a maneuver which was terrifying for Tahvo, because this witch was usually the definition of composure. "She's been living in the muggle world. A couple of muggles adopted her. But don't worry, she speaks very highly of them and she's healthy and bright. She absolutely lights up whenever she looks at Theo or Draco and she's already bossing them around just like she always did."

"I don't understand," said Tahvo as he tried to figure out what Narcissa so clearly _wasn't_ saying, he still knew her well enough to recognize when she was obfuscating. "Why is she just now at Hogwarts? Surely her magic would have been detected even in the muggle world and she would have gotten an invitation to attend years ago."

"She was possibly the most magical child I've ever met, there's no way she wouldn't have been invited to Hogwarts. Did the muggles keep her away?" Lucius growled. "Or did her kidnappers do something to damage her magic?"

"No, no, nothing like that. She is still a powerful witch. As far as we know her kidnappers didn't harm her in any way. Unfortunately, as of right now she remembers nothing that would help catch them. And the muggles didn't keep her away, she has been attending Hogwarts for the past five years."

"Narcissa!" Lucius snapped. "Just tell us what's going on."

"She was obliviated of the first five years of her life and placed under a cloaking charm, both of which were broken when she had powerful magic cast on her the night before last. Her name, in the muggle world, is Hermione Granger."

Lucius let out a noise that sounded shockingly like a whimper.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Tahvo asked as he looked back and forth between the couple.

"She's Potter's mudblood best friend." Lucius was taking deep even breaths as he spoke, it looked as if he was concentrating on not being sick. "I should have known she was far too talented to be a mudblood."

He buried his face in his hands, Tahvo had never seen the man so shaken.

"She's also the curly haired witch who was here the other night," he continued in a whisper.

Tahvo's panicked mind did a mental inventory of the teenagers who had been at the Ministry with Potter. There had been six of them. Three wizards and three witches, among the witches had been a blonde, a redhead, and...it was like a veil had been lifted from his thoughts.

His Calla.

His Calla had been standing right in front of him. She had been the one to take him out of the fight. Pride momentarily welled up within him: she was brave, and smart, and powerful, and he'd only just gotten a glimpse of all of that; then the horror sank in.

What had he done?

He could have lost her for good.

He pushed it out of his mind to deal with later. He wasn't foolish enough to think that they would be allowed an indefinite amount of time with Narcissa and what he needed was information. He didn't deserve it, but he longed to know about her.

"Powerful magic?" He choked.

"She's going to be fine," Narcissa answered him immediately with a hard glare, and he suddenly realized that she was walking a fine line between giving them information, and further implicating them in a crime to the aurors who were watching.

He nodded.

"She's strong and she has the boys guarding her like, well, dragons guarding their treasure."

"She's accepted them?"

Narcissa smiled softly at him. "Embraced them completely."

"At least now we know that Draco hasn't entirely taken leave of his senses," Lucius interrupted.

"Pardon?" Tahvo asked.

"He's had a badly disguised fascination with the girl- with...Calliope since he started Hogwarts," Lucius responded.

"So you know her?" Tahvo demanded, anxious for any crumb of information he could gather about her.

Lucius shook his head. "Only by sight and reputation, mostly from what Draco's said. I can't believe I didn't see it, though!"

"Nobody did," Narcissa soothed. "Draco and Theo attended classes with her every day. They've been eating meals with her for years and didn't recognize her. Whoever took her, that's exactly as they intended."

"What can you tell me about her?" Tahvo entreated Narcissa, he had no interest in examining the magical possibilities at the moment.

The witch beamed at him. "She's smart. At the top of her class despite being deprived of any kind of magical education before Hogwarts. As I said she's beautiful. She's a Gryffindor, though apparently the Sorting Hat wanted to put her in Slytherin but she talked it out of it; which I believe proves just how Slytherin she actually is."

"Clever girl," Lucius chuckled.

Tahvo shot him a questioning look.

He shrugged. "I would prefer if she was in our house as well, but she'd obviously discovered enough before she arrived at Hogwarts to realize that she probably wouldn't have been welcome in Slytherin, given what was known about her origins at the time. Draco says she's quite the reader."

"He really wasn't subtle about her regard for her, was he?"

Lucius grimaced. "I'm hoping this is an isolated occasion, given their connection. I like to think he's not in the habit of cozying up to mudbloods."

"Lucius," Narcissa hissed, so forcefully that it made Tahvo wince, "you are going to have to moderate your language. I will not have you alienating our future daughter in law. I have only spent a few hours with them but I can already tell you, wherever Calla goes, Draco will follow. They orbit each other like they are each other's sun."

"But surely she is relieved to discover she is not a mud-"

"She was raised by muggles! She loves them! She considers them to be her parents!" Narcissa snapped, shooting Tahvo an apologetic smile.

He could only nod. He couldn't even find it within himself to be offended. His daughter was not only alive, she was apparently safe and happy. She had been taken care of. He could ask for little more.

"Is there anything else, Narcissa?" He asked.

"Yes. I went back to see them this afternoon under the pretense of bringing Calla some hair care products."

She must have read the incredulosity on both of their faces because she rolled her eyes. "You are obviously not women. She has Daisy's hair, and as gorgeous as it is, you are at least aware that it has to be managed." She speared her gaze on Tahvo.

He just nodded.

"Calliope was anxious to get back to what Daisy had taught her. It could have waited, she's not vain, but I wanted to see them again." She sniffed. "I didn't realize until a few hours ago that the pair of you weren't already in Azkaban and that there was a possibility that I might get to visit you. But once Boris here told me that you were still at the Ministry when I went to file the custodial parchment I realized that I had to at least try to speak with you and let you know about Calliope in person. So, I wanted to speak with the children and ask them if they had anything to pass on."

Tahvo slid forward in his seat in anticipation.

"I apologize, I'm not actually allowed to give you anything, nor did I have time to get any new photographs, but you can at least look at this." She pulled a photograph from her bag and placed it on the table between them.

It was as if he'd been struck in the chest. There before him was his little girl in gauzy blue dress robes grasping the arm of a wizard who looked vaguely familiar. He couldn't have said what affected him the most: seeing her again, that she was no longer a little girl, or that she looked so much like her mother that it hurt.

Daisy had been several years older than Calliope was in this photo when he'd met her, but the resemblance was still remarkable.

"Is that Viktor Krum?" Lucius' voice interrupted his thoughts.

"It is," Narcissa let out a little laugh. "Apparently the two of them had a brief relationship while he was at Hogwarts for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I think she chose to send this picture in particular just to tweak Draco's nose."

"Poor boy," Lucius chuckled, not sounding at all sorry for his son.

"Was there anything else? Did she say anything?"

"She sends her love," Narcissa hesitated. "They all do."

She was obfuscating again and Tahvo wondered what Theo and Draco had to do to convince her to even send a picture and her regards. In her place he wouldn't have been nearly so gracious.

Then again, she had always been her mother's daughter.

**Author's Note: I've said this before in a different story. I'm not trying to whitewash what the Death Eaters have done, or what they stand for. I do, however, want to show both Tahvo and Lucius as human beings. It's unrealistic to me to portray them as simple two-dimensional villains so please don't think this hasn't been given careful consideration. **

**On a better note, it's Thanksgiving week here in the United States. And in the spirit of thankfulness and also trying to push through NaNo, I'm going to attempt to post something new every day this week, including at least one more chapter of this story. So keep a lookout- and as always any and all encouragement is much appreciated. Thank you for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Draco and Theo reluctantly went to breakfast on the morning that the announcement of Calliope's return appeared in the Daily Prophet. It had only been one full day and two nights since she had awoken from her injury. It seemed far too soon to be away from her. And in addition, Draco knew that she was still nursing the emotional injury of her friends' reactions to her news, which made him all the more reluctant to leave her.

He could tell that Theo felt the same way. But Calla had insisted, and neither of them had been able to deny her as little kids, and he was beginning to admit that they probably would never be able to do so. In fact, it might actually get worse now that they were older. Because how could they ever take her for granted after what they'd been through?

Not to mention that, as reluctant as he felt to admit it, she was the strongest of them all. She would be fine without them for an hour or two.

Like good Slytherins they arrived early, before the Daily Prophet. They were poised to watch the reaction to the news, both to know if they needed to be on their guard, but also because they knew Calla would be insatiable in her curiosity. However, Draco had a churning feeling in his gut that he did not like at all.

As they walked into the Great Hall they received a few questioning glances, especially when they arrived at the table and sat beside each other. They were not known to spend time together and their absence in the Slytherin common room had surely been noticed in the past day. Given their fathers' roles at the Ministry they would have been a topic of gossip regardless. So, their housemates were obviously curious in the face of their sudden solidarity.

But they both knew better and ignored it all, focused on loading their plates and bracing themselves for what was to come.

To give Calla's Gryffindor friends credit, they at least hadn't spread rumors all over the school about her new circumstances. Draco would have suspected that those rumors might simply not have reached Slytherin, but the whole hall was strangely quiet, too quiet for such explosive news to have already broken. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or irritated not to have found another reason to dislike them - if Longbottom and Lovegood kept showing up to check on her he was in danger of actually liking them, all the gods help him.

However, he now realized that it was in all of their best interests if he and Theo were here to witness the reaction of the school. Calla was a smart witch. The better to keep them all safe. He just wasn't looking forward to it.

Or, rather, he wasn't looking forward to telling Calla about it. He really didn't care what anybody thought. Because, despite the brave face she put on, and despite the fact that she'd been the one to send them here this morning, he knew that she did.

Draco braced himself as the post arrived; there was the typical sound of the flapping of wings, students cooing to their owls, and the ripping of parchment. It was mostly silent, but it slowly built to a crescendo, and then there was an explosion of noise.

Draco could practically sense several hundred pairs of eyes boring into the back of his head. He willed himself not to react. At his right he felt Theo take a deep breath and then purposefully begin eating again.

"Is it true?" A voice rang out. "This must be rubbish! Draco?!"

Pansy, of course it was Pansy.

Theo snorted and subtly nudged Draco, as if to say: 'clean up your own mess.'

Draco couldn't begrudge him the sentiment, much less argue with him about it in the Great Hall. He took a deep breath and focused his eyes deliberately on the witch, and when he caught her gaze, rolled them. "No Pansy," Draco drawled, "our families just took out an official joint statement in the Daily bloody Prophet because it's not true."

She gaped at him. "Why are you so angry?"

"Are you kidding me? We just got Calliope back after all these years and that's all you can say? To ask if it's true? What's wrong with you?"

She seemed to actually stutter over own tongue in the face of his ire. "Well it's just...it's Granger," she attempted to explain.

Theo slapped his cutlery down on the table in a rare display of temper. "Yes, Granger is her adopted name. Do you have a problem with that?"

So much for letting Draco handle things.

And then Pansy went on to prove just how stupid she was...and why Calla was so insulted that Draco had ever even given her the time of day.

"She's just so...bossy and plain and…" Pansy continued, apparently oblivious to the growing fury of her housemates.

"Oh do shut up before you embarrass yourself anymore," Theo hissed.

The dark headed witched reared back in surprise, like she really didn't understand his anger.

"She's bossy because she's brilliant and almost always right," Theo continued. "She is neither plain, nor is she gawky, as I've heard you call her on more than one occasion, and you know it. You're just jealous of her."

"I am not!"

"Really? You're not at all bothered by the fact that most of this school thought her superior to you in so many ways even before they knew she was a pureblood?"

"They did not," she scoffed.

"Or how about the fact that Draco belongs with her. That he _wants _her and ran to her the moment that he was able? That couldn't possibly be what's upsetting you, could it Pansy?" Theo finished snidely.

The witch coloured spectacularly and Draco almost felt sorry for her. Almost. But then she opened her mouth again.

Pansy shifted her attention to Draco. "Do you think she's prepared for the duties she'll be expected to fulfill as your wife? She was raised by _muggles_."

There were quite a few gasps of disbelief at Pansy's questioning of his betrothal, which was such an egregious faux pas that it was almost difficult to comprehend. But Draco could sense that there were nearly as many people who were as anxious to hear his response to the question as those who were outraged, they were just better at hiding it. It was time to make his position clear.

"She is everything I've ever wanted since I drew breath in this world- according to our parents. Certainly from any moment I can remember for myself. You understand the idea of a blood betrothal, don't you Pansy? Do you think our parents would have done that casually?"

Pansy looked taken aback but she also crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, as if in disbelief, which infuriated Draco to such a degree he was afraid he might do something foolish.

He glanced at Theo. "I think we may need to contact House Parkinson and alert them that they are clearly not educating their children properly."

Theo smirked and nodded.

Draco turned back to Pansy. "Not that this is any of your business, and I do mean that literally. But Calliope is brilliant. Our mothers taught her about her role in our world since she was old enough to begin to understand. And my mother has welcomed her back like she was already her daughter. She is her goddaughter, after all. Calliope will be all that I could ever wish for in a wife, as the Lady of my Houses and the mother of my children. Watch your mouth, Parkinson, or you'll find yourself unwelcome in our company. More than that, I will make war with anybody who so much as looks at her sideways."

He made a production of fixing a plate for himself and Calla even though he knew it was unnecessary. The Hogwarts elves were nearly falling all over themselves to take care of Calla now that they understood she had only been trying to take care of them, misguided as it may have been. Family elves were one matter, but Hogwarts elves were rarely considered in such a thoughtful manner. The students rarely even realized they existed and they were grateful for her consideration.

"And you should be ashamed of yourself, Pansy, throwing yourself at a betrothed wizard in such a manner," Theo hissed.

Draco met his eyes and Theo nodded, taking an intentional bite of eggs. Draco stood and turned to stride out of the hall, leaving his future brother-in-law to monitor the situation.

0000000000

The three of them had been laying around chatting late that evening; Draco cradling Calla on the larger bed in her hospital room while Theo reclined on the other. They hadn't lied to her about what had happened at breakfast but they'd otherwise attempted to provide her with some relaxation. Madam Pomfrey had quietly explained to them that the stress of the incident the previous day had severely impacted her healing, and while she would still make a full recovery that it wasn't something that the mediwitch could allow to happen again.

"I don't feel like I can keep my eyes open for another minute," Calla said suddenly, her eyes beginning to fall shut. "I'm either beginning to fall off of my potions high or my adrenalin high. I feel so silly."

"Okay, don't feel silly, it's understandable. Night, Calla," Draco kissed her temple and went to crawl out of bed.

She clamped her hands on his forearms with more strength than he would have thought she possessed. "Dragon. Please stay with me."

"Whatever you like," he answered automatically.

"I'm sorry, Teddy," her eyes fluttered open lazily. "No offense." She turned in Draco's arms and then guided one of them until it was settled between her breasts, firmly against her sternum, right over her wound.

"Are you okay? In pain?" Draco asked urgently. Madam Pomfrey had reduced her potions that afternoon which was part of the reason for the lecture he and Theo had been given.

"No, it's not pain exactly. I just feel exposed and cold and it makes me feel more secure to have you hold me like this. Please?"

Draco nodded. The mediwitch had also warned them about the side effects of the dark magic lingering in her injury. And there was probably nothing he would deny her when she said 'please' so sweetly.

She wriggled back so that she was pressed as close to him as she could get and then twisted her neck to kiss him soundly, but relatively chastely. "Good night, Draco, I love you," she sighed as she pulled Draco's arms even more securely around her." Night Teddy, I love you too."

And then it was almost like somebody had stunned her, she dropped off to sleep so suddenly.

Theo eyed Draco as he lay on Calla's hospital bed with her tucked into his side, whilst he lounged on the smaller bed that had been shoved into the corner. It was the one where Draco had spent the past two nights. Theo was eyeing them both warily. But Draco didn't care what her brother thought about it, he wasn't giving up his place with Calla tonight, not when she'd made her need for him so clear.

"Aren't you moving kind of fast?" Theo asked when Calliope's breathing became deep and even.

"Excuse me?"

"You and Calla? Don't you think your relationship is progressing kind of quickly?"

Draco hugged the girl in question to him a little tighter. "We've been betrothed for thirteen years, Theo."

"Yeah, and you haven't seen each other, not really, for more than ten."

Draco bit his tongue. Mostly because he'd made a promise to Calla that he would stay and hold her, he couldn't afford to get into a fight with her brother which would disturb her or draw him away from her, and quickly tried to gather his thoughts.

"I won't try to compare my relationship with Calla to yours. I don't know what it's like to have a twin, or even a sibling. But it's like no time has passed for me, I love her like I did the day she disappeared, more even. So I don't see anything wrong with being close to her. Especially when she specifically asks me to be here."

Theo sighed and gestured to their positioning. "You never used to be like this."

That startled a laugh out of him. "Of course not, we were little kids. But it was always going to be like this eventually, surely you know that? And we've been building up to it in our own way for years."

"But not really, don't you think you should take your time?"

"First of all, we've been alone together for about twenty minutes, what do you think we've gotten up to?" Draco let out a bark of laughter, but then sobered." That being said, however this progresses will be between the two of us and none of your business."

Theo turned over onto his back and rubbed his face. "Fuck, I was not prepared for this."

"You realize she'd probably kick your arse right now if she was awake and not...severely injured."

"Yeah."

Draco looked at the other wizard and made a supposition: "You're mad about the time you missed with her."

"Of course I am."

"And you don't think I am?"

"You at least found a way to get _something_ with her since we got to Hogwarts."

"I won't apologize for that."

There was a long period of silence. "Did you know what she was talking about?" Theo finally asked quietly, "when she said she was coming down off of an adrenaline high?"

"No idea."

"Me either." Theo admitted.

"It's a muggle thing, right?"

"I think it must be."

"I don't understand half of what she says. Do you think she's doing that on purpose?"

Draco gazed at the witch in his arms, she looked so harmless. It was as much a relief as it was terrifying. "Yeah," he admitted on a half laugh. "I think she's trying to make a point."

"What does she expect from us? We've never been in the muggle world, Draco."

Draco shrugged, he almost didn't believe the words that were about to leave his own mouth. "And as far as she remembered until two days ago, she'd never spent time in the magical world until she came to Hogwarts. And she was just expected to adapt, and she did."

"It's not the same," Theo huffed, but Draco wasn't sure if he was truly trying to deny his point or was just still put out that he'd been relegated to the extra bed.

It took a few minutes before Draco gathered the courage to ask the question, but he knew that Theo would never betray Calliope, so he ultimately found it. "Did you feel uncomfortable today, about the way everybody was talking about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like she suddenly has value because she's a pureblood now."

"Yeah," Theo gasped.

The fact was that more than once, over the course of the day, he'd opened his mouth to tell somebody that he'd always known that Hermione Granger was more than she appeared to be. He was grateful that he'd had the presence of mind to shut it every time, because he knew that if it ever got back to Calla she'd skin him alive. She'd made her opinion on blood-purity very clear.

"She told me she wouldn't marry a Death Eater. She made me promise I'd never take the mark," he confessed, voice suddenly hoarse.

Theo went still so suddenly that Draco was certain he actually heard his body go rigid.

"What did you say?"

"I tried to tell her that it was complicated."

"It is."

"She said it wasn't, that it was a simple choice between her and him. She pointed out what he

and his ideals have done to our fathers. And Theo," he lowered his voice, even though they'd warded the room, "look what he's done to our world."

Theo remained silent so Draco pressed his luck, he knew that Calla would never really be whole without her twin.

"When she told me it was him or her, it wasn't even difficult. I was honest with her, I told her we might have to run and she agreed without hesitation."

"And our fathers, your mother?"

"Have made their choices. It's time to make ours. It's a last resort, I know it's not what either of us want, but just so you know, you'll always have a place with us."

What Draco wasn't saying, what he didn't think he could express without completely losing his composure, was how much seeing Calla's injury had rocked him to his core. To the point where he felt like the world, as he'd once believed it to be, was falling down around him.

Callipe had just been lying there, unconscious and bleeding more than he thought a person should be able to bleed. He had tried to concentrate on her face to keep from worrying about what the pinched look on Madam Pomfrey's face meant, but she had been far too pale, her breathing too shallow, and when his gaze drifted to her chest he nearly threw up. The wound was horrific.

Draco thought that he knew himself relatively well. If she hadn't recovered, if she had died there in front of them he would have put all of his considerable wealth and magical power into avenging her. He accepted that he wasn't a particularly good person.

But if he ever had any questions about it, he now knew that he also did not relish in the suffering of others, not really. He liked to pick at Potter and Weasley and any other easy mark, he liked to get under people's skin. But he was not a sadist.

He was not his Aunt Bellatrix and he could not imagine using the kind of curse that had been used on Calla on anybody, not even the animals he'd been taught muggles were. Not even an actual animal.

And then there was Calla, sweet, brave, Calla who after everything was still so accepting of them. Calla who wanted to teach him about muggles and swore he'd gotten the wrong end of the broomstick.

He held her a little tighter, because if the world was crashing down around him then he needed a touchstone, and she had always- even in her absence- been it for him.

**Author's Note: Thanks to Weestarmeegie for the beta read and for her never ending love and encouragement! To the rest of you, thank you for reading and for your patience, I really want to do this fic justice. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Hermione woke up the next morning with a half formed thought in her head.

"Boys, wake up!"

Draco startled behind her, it appeared they hadn't shifted position at all in the night. Teddy groaned. "What the hell Calla! It's not even six o'clock!"

"I need to talk to somebody, it's important. Help me up, please." She tapped Draco's hand and he immediately obeyed. "Dobby!" She called.

He popped into the room wearing an assortment of what she recognized as her own knitted items and looking absolutely delighted. "Miss Calla is calling for Dobby!"

"Again Calla, what the hell?!" Teddy demanded. Why is there an elf...wait a minute, I know that elf."

Hermione ignored him. "Dobby! It's wonderful to see you, why haven't I seen you yet?" It seemed a little odd considering that he was the only Hogwarts elf who hadn't hated her before she got her memories back, as the others seemed to be fighting to serve her now. But then again, she remembered Dobby wasn't particularly popular amongst the Hogwarts elves.

"Dobby is not knowing if Miss Calla would want to see him," he looked nervously over her shoulder. She followed his line of sight to Draco who was gaping at him.

"Why are you looking at him like that? And why does he seem scared of you?"

"I don't know why he's scared of me," Draco protested, "I thought he was dead!"

"What, why?!"

"He just disappeared- years ago, what else was I to think?"

And that's when Hermione realized how much she'd failed to think this through.

"Wait," interrupted Teddy. "Dobby, your Grandfather Malfoy's elf?"

"Yeah," Draco swallowed, "well, actually he was the Lord's elf, so he was with Father for a little while, but when I came home from school after Second Year he wasn't there and I just imagined…" his eyes turned haunted and Hermione didn't think she wanted to know _what_ Draco had imagined had happened to the elf who had occupied the most exalted and honorable position in House Malfoy.

Hermione was confused too, she knew Dobby had been freed, but she didn't know how he possibly could have gotten to the point where he would have wanted it. Her memories told her that the Malfoy elves were treated with respect, and were proud and happy in their positions. In addition, Dobby would have spent decades, if not upwards of a century working his way up to being the Lord's elf. She couldn't imagine him wanting to give that up.

Then again, Abraxas Malfoy had been a terror. And she could no longer begin to untangle her thoughts about her Uncle Lucius.

"When did your grandfather die?" She whispered to Draco.

"First Year."

She nodded, she had a million other questions but she realized this probably wasn't a discussion that should be had around Dobby, he'd suffered enough. But there was something she had to know.

"Dobby, please know that you can speak freely here."

He once again peered nervously at Draco.

"Dobby, Draco would never hurt a house elf, would you Draco?" She elbowed him in the ribs.

"What, of course not! I'm sorry, I'm just so surprised to see you. I'm happy that you're alright and of course you may speak freely."

Dobby's eyes softened and he nodded. "Master Draco is a good boy. Dobby was worried, but everything will be okay now, Miss Calla will make sure."

Draco let out a little huff of breath against her neck and Teddy snickered.

"When you left service," Hermione said carefully, "were the other Malfoy elves happy? Were they safe and respected and doing appropriate work?"

Dobby nodded so vigorously his ears flapped. "Oh yes! The mistresses are being in charge of the other elves. The elves are happy and proud to serve House Malfoy, they have good mistresses.

"You mean Mistress Narcissa and, well, I guess it's Dowager Lady Malfoy now?"

He nodded. "Though Old Mistress left the Manor after Bad Master died," his eyes went wide as he realized what he'd said.

"That sounds just right to me," said Draco sofly.

Dobby smiled gently. "Dobby is not blaming the Old Mistress, the Manor not a good place for her. She is leaving Lady Malfoy in charge. She is a good Mistress, even though she be young, she knows what she be doing."

"Okay that's good, that's really good," Hermione said, mostly to herself. "Dobby, I just had some questions for you about elf magic, would that be okay?"

"Dobby will answer what he can."

"That's all I ask. I was just wondering, you know that I'm Miss Calla, but do you know who I've been this whole time here at Hogwarts?"

"Of course! You are the Great Harry Potter's, Miss Hermione."

Teddy let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, but she felt Draco bristle against her. "That's right, but you know that Harry and I aren't… I mean we've never been together like that, like romantically."

Dobby actually giggled. "Dobby knows. Miss Calla belongs with Master Draco. Miss Calla's bond with Harry Potter look more like her bond with Mr. Teddy, except not blood family."

"Wow, you can see that?"

"Sense, sometimes see."

"That's so cool!"

Dobby bounced a little on his feet. "Wizards and witches not usually think elf magic 'cool.'"

"Well that's because they take you for granted. I intend to change that."

"Dobby believes Miss Calla," he grinned.

"Thanks," she grinned in return. "When I was Miss Hermione could you see that I was also Miss Calla?"

"Oh no! Dobby wishes he had, Master Draco was so sad, Dobby could have fixed it!"

Draco let out a little sniffle and she squeezed his arms. "Did you see anything between us, any sort of bond?"

Dobby frowned. "There was something, but it confused Dobby. It was a bond but...corrupt. Dobby isn't sure, he wasn't seeing Miss Calla and Master Draco together often. But now bond is fixed and it is so much prettier, make Dobby happy." He reached out in their direction.

Hermione took his hand and squeezed and he beamed at her before she released him.

"Just a couple more questions I think, if you have time," she wondered.

"Dobby is not busy," he shrugged. "Dorms are clean, breakfast is ready. And Dobby likes talking with Miss Calla and her little masters," he smirked at her, eyes dancing with mischief.

"Hey!" Teddy protested and Hermione wondered which part of that statement annoyed him most.

Dobby turned to him and wagged a finger. "Dobby remembers how it is between you!" Then he turned back to Hermione while Teddy slumped against the wall, pouting spectacularly. Dobby looked at her expectantly.

"I was just wondering if somebody had ordered the Malfoy elves or the Nott elves to find me, would you have been able to?"

"Oh! We were not needing an order Miss Calla. We tried and tried for months, we made a rotation, but we could never feel you. It was terrible. House was in mourning! Worse for Nott elves."

Hermione's eyes welled with tears, "oh wow, that's really something. Thank you for looking for me."

"Dobby not needing thanks, but Miss Calla is welcome."

"Do you think that if I had known to call for any of you that you could have found me then?"

Dobby stood there lost in thought for at least a full minute. "Dobby is sorry but he does not know."

"That's okay, it was a long shot. I was just thinking about other kinds of magic that I might be able to use to figure out who kidnapped me and I know you elves see things differently."

"Miss Calla is a smart witch," he nodded sagely.

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like to talk about you."

He narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.

"First of all, I'm very proud of you for taking care of yourself since you were freed. I know that couldn't have been easy."

"Thank you," he said, ducking his head and scuffing his toe against the floor.

"And now that you're at Hogwarts you're getting paid."

"Miss Calla disapproves?"

"Not at all, I just want to make sure that you're safe and happy, and you have options. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're being paid, that means you haven't bonded to the castle?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

He said nothing.

Hermione frowned. As she understood it, if Dobby had made a contract with the Headmaster he was getting wages for his work as well as being allowed to harvest some magic to sustain him, but it wouldn't be enough to let him live out his regular life expectancy. But perhaps after living under Abraxas Malfoy's thumb, he considered that a reasonable trade off.

"If you just prefer your freedom I respect that, it's your decision and I will never bring it up again."

Again the elf said nothing and she watched him draw further into himself. Dobby's will to survive thus far had proven remarkable. Which brought Hermione's thoughts to another free elf, drunk and wallowing, and to the way Dobby had explained that she longed for another family. At the time Hermione had thought she was simply brainwashed. Now she had another perspective.

Being a Hogwarts elf was all well and good, and those bonded to the castle could expect to live good, fulfilling lives. But they were expected to be nearly invisible, they did not have personal relationships with students, and even if they did, those students came and went within what must have felt like the blink of an eye in the lifetime of an elf.

For elves like Dobby and Winky who had been members of a family, who regularly interacted with witches and wizards, and often cared for them from the day they were born until the day they died, that might not be a satisfying existence. Especially because if they were dismissed from the service of a human family they almost certainly left an elfin family behind as well.

It made her feel sick.

Merlin help her, if Hermione had to raze this society to educate these people about...so many things, she would do it.

"Dobby, are you waiting for a family?"

Again he said nothing, but he let out a suspicious sniff. She turned and looked at Draco, meeting his eyes and quirking an eyebrow at him. He just gave her a slight nod.

"Dobby, as you know, Draco is now Head of House Black. He's not of age to claim the title but he has access to the magic. If you like, we will gladly bond you to us. Despite Draco being a Malfoy, since we would be using Black magic it should accept you. However, I'm concerned that because of Draco's connection to Lord Malfoy that your magic may never fully trust him, and I don't want that for you."

The elf's eyes were full of tears.

"But I wanted you to know it's an option. However, I think you already had a family in mind?"

Dobby looked away again.

"Harry isn't ignoring you intentionally, he just doesn't know any better."

"Harry Potter doesn't need an elf."

"You've seen what his life is like with his relatives, right?"

Dobby nodded.

"And if you were bonded to him you could protect him, keep him company?"

Dobby nodded again.

"You could make sure he was fed and go shopping for him if he gave you access to his vaults? Deliver messages for him, make sure he gets his mail and that it's safe?"

"Of course Miss Calla," now he sounded insulted, his hands on his hips.

"Harry very much needs an elf, Dobby. And he has plenty of magic, you won't be a burden to him. If you go and explain things to him I'm sure he'd be more than happy to bond with you. He already respects you, he always calls you first."

"Elves do not ask for such things, Miss Calla."

Hermione contemplated this. "What if I asked him? What if I wrote him a note, one Hogwarts student to another, and then you delivered it. You'd only be doing your job."

Dobby started to grin. "Miss Calla _is_ a smart witch."

"I need some writing materials." She had been talking to the boys but they appeared instantly in Dobby's hands. She laughed. "That wasn't an order, you know."

"This is quicker than the little masters can move," he shrugged.

She took them and immediately began composing a note, something that Harry hopefully wouldn't discard immediately because it came from her. If she had to, she'd hunt him down and make him understand. But it would be better if Dobby didn't feel rejected.

"How's Winky?" She wondered quietly.

"She is worse every day, Miss Calla."

"Tell her to start taking care of herself and I'll find a family for her. She's welcome with me and Draco, but I know her history with me isn't great, so I'll look for other alternatives and I promise I'll take her...former circumstances into consideration."

Dobby breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Hermione finally finished her note, blew on it, and folded it. "Thank you for your assistance in answering my questions. I hope we get to talk again sometime, but if Harry is uncomfortable with that I understand. Just be happy, okay?"

Dobby just stared at her before scrambling up onto the bed and gently embracing her. "Miss Calla is a good witch."

"Dobby," Draco interrupted. "You have my permission to visit any Malfoy or Black elf that you like, and they have my permission to come to you. I know you must miss your family."

"Oh thank you Master Draco. You take care of your witch," he gave an awkward bow, given how he was balanced on the mattress, and then he popped away.

Hermione turned to Draco and beamed at him. "You wonderful wizard."

He placed his forehead against hers. "It was the least I could do."

Teddy cleared his throat. "Well that was the weirdest conversation I've ever witnessed."

Hermione ignored him in favor of Draco, she could practically feel the rage and despair rolling off of him.

"Father _freed_ him? What was he thinking?!"

"Harry tricked him into it, and Dobby was happy to take the bait given the way he was regularly beaten, verbally abused, and made to punish himself."

"I didn't know, I swear I didn't. I hardly saw him because first he was Grandfather's elf and once he entered Father's specific service I was at Hogwarts. He was so miserable that he let himself be freed?"

"Apparently he has a lot of admiration for Harry and for how his circumstances actually _improved_ after Voldemort was banished."

"Fuck," Draco muttered into her neck.

"How are our elves, Teddy?" Hermione asked, and when he stared blankly at her she clarified. "Our elves, the Nott elves, how are they?"

"They're fine," Teddy answered, like she was insane.

"Are you sure? Safe, happy, do they have sufficient work? Do they have too much work?"

"Um, sure?"

"Have you asked them?"

"What?"

"Have you asked them?" She enunciated carefully.

"Of course not, they're fine. Probably bored at the moment with nobody in the estate. But you remember, they were always happy, they're the same as always."

"I remember that's what I thought at the time, but I also had no idea that my father was a Death Eater, so it's awfully hard to trust my memories." She looked at Draco, then Teddy. "The moment we're outside of Hogwarts wards and have a moment of privacy I want to call every single Nott, Malfoy, and Black elf and check on them."

"I- yeah," Draco answered immediately, he was still clearly startled by Dobby's appearance.

"That's fine Calla," answered Theo quietly, "but I think you're overreacting."

"I had a dream the night before last, but I actually think it was a memory. I was in the study with Father and I fell asleep there, in his lap. Uncle Lucius came through the floo and it woke me up, but I pretended to be asleep because I wanted to stay with them. Because they were the two men I trusted most in the world and I just felt so absolutely safe and happy with them. I felt the warmth and happiness of it even when I woke up. Until, of course, I remembered that they tried to kill me a couple of days ago."

"Calla-"

"No Teddy, we keep going round and round about this. I understand that this is difficult for you. But at this point I just can't be sure that I ever knew our fathers at all, and I can't trust that you weren't as blinded as I was. So excuse me, but I'm going to check on the damn elves."

**Author's Note:** **Beta love to Weestarmeggie who is the voice in my head which encourages me and keeps me from chucking my laptop at the wall even when I really want to. And continued love to you all this holiday season, thanks for reading and for all your support which keeps me going! **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hermione needed a bath, and she needed one badly, it had been almost a week and the aurors were finally coming to interview her in the morning. The infirmary didn't have the facilities for anything other than a sponge bath.

And while she knew that between that and magic, she was technically clean, she wanted to soak herself. Dunk her head and scrub her hair clean with something that felt more cleansing than a 'scourgify.' However, she was too weak to bathe by herself and even the thought of raising her arms above her head long enough to wash her hair made her cringe in agony. That was the one motion that really seemed to tweak her injury. Splitting it open again had been a really bad idea.

But if she was being truly honest, she just needed some time alone with Draco. Teddy was annoyed with her, specifically with her hard stance against their father. Draco, while clearly uncomfortable at times, was far more open minded about her opinions.

Dobby's appearance had rocked Draco to his core, and the more she spoke with them both, the more she realized that Teddy had been much better sheltered from the Death Eater organization than Draco had been. It was something which Hermione was infinitely grateful for, that her precious brother had been spared. However, it left him far more hesitant to question their father's choices and sometimes made it difficult to speak with him.

Beyond that, despite the friction between the siblings, Teddy was reluctant to leave her alone with Draco. She'd shared a few chaste kisses with her betrothed, but whenever it seemed to be turning into more Teddy would appear. It was driving her crazy.

When the boys returned from dinner- a meal she'd insisted they attend every night lest people begin to think they were hiding, or that she was keeping them away from them- she asked to speak to Draco alone.

When she'd explained her request he'd turned such a spectacular shade of red that she'd almost hurt herself laughing. "I didn't mean anything scandalous, Dragon. I really just want a bath and I can't take one by myself. We can wear our bathing suits- it's just that I feel a little too weird asking Teddy to help me bathe. It seems like something you should do."

She would have felt bad about her manipulation, except she really _didn't_ particularly want her twin's aid bathing. Or anybody else's. Not when Draco was an option.

Hermione had heard the talk amongst the girls in her dorm. In fact, given that she was best friends with two boys who often seemed to forget that she was a girl, or that she was there at all, she had heard a lot of talk amongst the boys in her house as well. She knew that most people her age had begun to experiment sexually.

She had been intrigued by the idea intellectually. She had even done some (very innocent) experimenting of her own with Viktor. But the boy crazy atmosphere amongst some of her peers had never made sense to her. It was as if every good looking wizard was interchangeable for another.

She now understood why she had been so baffled. At least she thought she did. It had always been Draco for her. He wasn't interchangeable.

And she was anxious to explore her more physical attraction to him, even if it was only a little bit. As far as she was concerned they were each others forever, and she wasn't in any hurry. She just wanted to be close to him.

Teddy threw what could only be described as a temper tantrum when she told him her plan. Draco stood steadfastly by her side. But he let her fight her own battle with her twin.

"I hope you have better control of yourself over my personal business with my betrothed before we're in public," Hermione answered cooly in response to Teddy's ire. "This is not your decision, and if you ever embarrass me over my relationship, I will not take it well," and then she let herself be led, leaning on Draco, to the Prefects bath.

Teddy wouldn't be able to follow them into the bathroom, given that he wasn't a prefect himself. She felt only momentarily guilty, there was only so much emotion she could contain at once. Teddy would have to adapt and she didn't think it would help to coddle him.

She'd made that mistake with Harry and Ron in the past.

Draco helped her strip off her top and pajama bottoms with little ceremony, but when she was left in only her deep blue bikini his eyes went wide, and then fell to her chest.

She looked down, the scar was a shiny pink and probably two inches wide and stretched from her sternum to her hip bone, but it had at least finally closed and no longer had to be heavily bandaged. And she'd been assured that if she was vigilant with her potions and creams it would shrink, and fade almost completely.

"Sorry, I know it's not pretty."

His eyes flew to hers. "Huh?"

"The wound," she clarified.

He reddened spectacularly and she bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"You weren't looking at the wound?" She guessed.

He shrugged and still refused to meet her eyes, suddenly extremely bashful.

And that's when it hit her like a ton of bricks and she hated herself for inadvertently embarrassing him. Because for all her seemingly natural connection with Draco, and their newly remembered history, they had been raised differently. She was wearing a fairly modest bikini, but it was probably more of a witch than he'd ever seen.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I just didn't think."

"It's- it's okay. I was just surprised. We're promised, right? This isn't inappropriate?" He looked at her hopefully.

"Of course. Are we okay?"

"Of course."

She looked at the steps leading into the bath and sighed. "Help me in?"

"Okay, how?"

"Help me sit, and then I can just scoot in."

"Okay, and then I'll catch you."

Hermione bit back a sigh; her independent nature once again warring against the fact that she wanted (had asked for) help, and that she wanted to spend time with Draco, not fight her own body just to stay upright and afloat.

"Thanks."

He took her arms and helped her lower herself down onto the ledge, then he stepped into the bath (which was really much more of an indoor swimming pool). She took her time lowering herself into the bath, relishing in the feel of the water against her skin, until she heard a snicker and she cut her eyes to Draco who was watching her with amusement.

"Shut up," she murmured, "this feels so nice."

"It's okay, I've just never seen a grown witch enjoy a bath so much."

She narrowed her eyes and kicked off towards him, he was only a few feet away and grasped her easily and gently. "Have a lot of experience with grown witches and baths, do you?"

"I'm onto you Granger," he murmured. "You aren't going to trip me up again."

"Granger?"

He shrugged. "I've been calling you that in my head for a long time, does it bother you?"

"Not at all, but it would probably drive Teddy mad."

"I know," he commented lightly. "How do you feel?"

"Right now? Pretty glorious. But in general, I'm extremely sore. Sometimes the wound burns. And I wasn't just using that as an excuse to get you in here with me, I'd rather go without than try to wash my hair by myself." She smirked at him.

"Come here," he requested quietly, guiding her legs around his waist, he held her around her own waist. "I've got you, just relax."

"I have so many things I want to say to you," she told him, without opening her eyes.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I think maybe I've been holding them in my heart for whenever I found you again." She tucked her arms against his chest and her head in the crook of his neck.

"Okay," he answered, as if he didn't know what else to say.

"First of all I wanted to say thanks."

"What for?" He chuckled.

"Not questioning me too much about coming here, I know you're going to hear about it from Teddy. I'll have a talk with him. I'm sorry about how he's been."

"He's just being protective, I think that's normal for a brother."

"But you're the very last thing on earth I need protecting from," she huffed. "Though I guess he doesn't really have any way to understand what's between us," she conceded upon further thought.

"What is between us?" He wondered. "I mean what does it feel like to you?"

She sighed and traced a droplet of water across his shoulder with her fingertip. He held her tighter. "Like we belong to each other so completely that we could never really hurt each other, not in any real, long lasting way."

He hummed in agreement.

"I went to a wedding once and as part of their vows they promised to belong to each other 'with all that I am and all that I have.' It really bothered me at the time and I got up on what my parents call my Hermione Soapbox-"

"Oh I know what that looks like."

"Yes you do, you prat, you've sent me up on it more than once." She flicked his arm.

"Always so violent," he murmured.

"Anyway, I went on and on about how they should be ashamed to be giving up their independence like that and how I was never going to lose myself to somebody else. And my parents just sort of looked at each other in that way that parents do and shook their heads. You know what I mean?"

"Oh yeah, I know you've seen Mother and Father do that a thousand times."

"Yeah," she sighed over her bittersweet memories. "Anyway, they tried to explain that it wasn't about sacrificing anything at all but about sharing something beautiful." She smiled to herself and kissed his neck. "But you know, I was about nine or ten at the time and convinced I was going to be the second female prime minister and I wouldn't have time for a husband at all. Plus, boys were icky."

A chuckle rumbled through his chest. "What about now, do you still think boys are icky?"

"Oh Dragon," she laughed. "I've spent a significant amount of time in the Gryffindor boys' dormitories. I know for certain that boys can be very icky. But there's one in particular who definitely isn't." She lapped another drop of water off of his skin with her tongue and then lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "And I've been dying for some alone time to explore that beautiful thing that we share."

"Calla," it was half-gasp, half moan. He ducked his head and captured her lips with his.

They snogged furiously for what could have been minutes or hours but Hermione knew that she would never get enough of, no matter how long she lived, and she never wanted to stop. Except then it got better. He began peppering her cheeks with small kisses, licking and sucking down her neck.

He hiked her legs further up his body so he could reach her chest. He kissed all the way across her clavicle and with something like reverence traced the exposed swells of her breasts with his nose before leaving one last kiss to the top of her injury.

"So beautiful, and so stupidly brave," he whispered.

She tunneled a hand into his damp hair and pressed his face more firmly against her chest.

"Merlin, Draco, I want more, I want you closer. I wish there was a way to get you closer."

He lifted his face, pupils blown wide, lips red and swollen. He was so beautiful. "There's a way I can get closer."

The moment the words left his mouth the expression on his face went from blissed out to completely horrified. It broke the spell between them. "I didn't mean _that_!"

She laughed. "Oh yes you did mean that! It's fine. You're sixteen, we were just snogging half-naked in a bathtub, I'd be concerned if you weren't thinking about that at least a little."

He let her slide back down his body and nuzzled her nose with his. "I would never want to pressure or rush you."

She shrugged. "I don't feel pressured or rushed, I just feel wanted. It's nice." She traced his cheek with her fingertips. "I'm not worried. We'll figure this out together. Lots to explore," she waggled her eyebrows at him.

"I'm looking forward to that," he stroked one of her thighs. "You know, I'd say you're actually more than half naked. Is this really what muggles wear to swim?"

"Yes, they make some that are more modest too, but they also make them more revealing. You won't believe what a thong is, and then there's topless sunbathing and even fully nude beaches."

His jaw dropped and he started swallowing convulsively. "The muggle world sounds like an interesting place," he finally choked out.

"It is, it's a diverse place."

"Have you ever done any of that?"

"I have a couple of skimpier suits, yes. I've never been to a nude beach and I've never sunbathed topless, but I've seen other women do it and I'm not opposed to the idea. I like to feel the sun on my skin."

He just stared at her, eyes dark. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, about other people seeing you like that."

For a moment her independent nature bristled and she almost told him that it was her body and she'd do as she pleased. But then she realized that the very thought of the way Pansy Parkinson looked at Draco made her want to claw the other witch's eyes out, and that was when he was in full uniform. She couldn't very well blame him for being uncomfortable at the idea of another man ogling her when she was mostly nude.

"Tell you what," she said, "if I remember correctly the Malfoy Villa in France has a private beach in front of it."

He nodded. "It's warded."

"Maybe it's something I could try when it's just the two of us."

He groaned. "Your brother's going to kill me." His eyes fell to her breasts. "So I'm allowed to look, but am I allowed to touch?"

"Yes."

He tentatively raised one hand to her breast and palmed it gently. She let out a sigh.

"Is that okay?" He wondered.

Her heart clenched at how uncertain he sounded, his eyes were wide and hopeful. It was obvious how badly he wanted to please her. She leaned in to him.

"Mmmmm-hmmm. Feels so nice. So nice when you touch me." She settled her face against his neck again and luxuriated in his touches which became bolder and bolder: her waist, her back, her bum, but it was more sensual sexual.

"Calla," he said after awhile as he continued to stroke up and down her spine and she was drifting in that land between sleep and wakefulness.

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking about something?"

"Okay, what is it?"

"What if we got married."

She forced her bleary eyes open and reluctantly pulled away from his delicious skin so that she could see his face. "I thought we'd pretty much already decided on that."

"No, I mean, what if we got married soon? This summer? We're old enough with Mother's permission, and you know she'd give it."

"Where is this coming from?"

He shrugged, his eyes fixed somewhere over her shoulder. "I just don't want to ever be separated from you again."

She had suspected something like that, she sighed and hoped that she could manage to explain her thoughts to him in a way that would keep him from throwing one of his epic temper tantrums. "Oh Draco, please don't take this the wrong way, but no."

"Why not?" He asked, managing to sound both petulant and resigned.

"Because we're sixteen and if I tell my parents we want to get married this summer it'll probably give them both heart attacks. People really don't get married that young in the muggle world unless the girl's pregnant, at least not in Britain."

"But you're not pregnant."

"No, but my point is that they'll think we're way too young. It's going to be difficult enough to get them to understand and accept the circumstances of our relationship as it is. But that's not the only reason."

"Okay, what else?"

"I don't want to get married because we're scared. That's a thing you know, especially in times of war, people think their time might be limited so they just seize the day. War brides and war babies are very common. I don't want that for us. I want a big wedding, a big celebration. I want it to be on the front page of the Daily Prophet so that we can rub it in the faces of the people who tried to destroy our families how disgustingly happy we are. I want it to be safe for my parents to attend. And I want them to be treated with respect."

"Calla, you realize what that means, don't you?"

"That the dark arsehole will have to be dead?"

"The dark arsehole?" He asked faintly.

"I too have been doing some thinking," she confessed. "And all of his other names are stupid. He's not the Lord of anything, and he's certainly not _my_ lord. One does not call somebody who was born out of a cauldron 'Tom' like he's a normal person. And 'Voldemort' is just bad French. Don't even get me started on You Know Who or He Who Must Not Be Named."

"Calliope," he practically choked on what sounded like a laugh, but his eyes were wide and horrified.

"I'm just saying," she shrugged. "Anyway, yes, you're right, he would have to be dead. But like I said, I've been thinking. You and I could see to that, and I think Teddy would help when it came down to it."

"Oh, okay sure," Draco's voice went very high on that last word, "just kill the darkest and possibly the most powerful wizard to ever live."

"Oh please, history is riddled with dark wizards, no pun intended," she snickered to herself and tightened her hold on Draco who was looking kind of light headed. "And he's not even the most powerful wizard alive today. He's just made everybody so afraid of him by hiding behind that personae, it makes him seem untouchable."

"He's pretty untouchable, not to mention ruthless and evil," he countered.

She shook her head vigorously. "Just think about it, his body is a magical construct. Love banished him once, we just have to figure out how he came back and then we should be able to get rid of him for good. I'm not saying we challenge him to a duel, but I don't think we necessarily need to."

"And you think you, Theo, and I are the ones for the job?"

"We're smart, determined, obscenely wealthy, we have all sorts of resources at our fingertips including some of the most extensive private libraries in the world, and most of all, he'll never see us coming."

He just stared at her.

"Are you in?" She finally asked, "because I'll work by myself if I have to."

He continued to stare at him for several minutes and she could practically see him processing her words. Finally his eyes fell shut. "Yes, you insane witch, of course I'm in."

"Excellent. Now I need your help washing my hair."

His eyes popped back open, they were now filled with mirth. "Whatever my Lady desires."

"That's good," she grinned, "because I'm just getting started."

**Author's Note: Happy 2020 everybody, I hope you enjoyed my first post of the new year! Thank you to Weestarmeggie for her alpha/beta work (my new year's resolution to you is that I will write more of these two in the Prefects Bath xoxo) Thanks to you all for reading! **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Draco watched, dumbfounded, as his witch leaned back in his arms to wet her hair.

"Wait! What does that mean that you're just getting started?" He practically yelled, he was beginning to suspect that whichever god had sent Calla to him (or more likely him to Calla) was having a laugh at his expense.

She reached out a hand and he helped her so that she was upright again. She squinted and rubbed at her eyes and he couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I look like a drowned rat."

She was scowling at him, her hair plastered to her face. She did look a little ridiculous, especially given the irritated look on her face, but nothing like a drowned rat.

"No," he clarified, "it's just kind of startling how flat your hair gets when it's wet, and how long. I can help you with it later, if you like. I think I remember enough about what Aunt Daisy showed me about how to care for it to at least give you a hand."

"Thank you."

He guided them over to the steps of the bath seating her on one and settling behind her, placing her in the vee of his legs. He had to sit on the second to the top step to get her situated in a place that would keep her head above water. "You're so tiny, Calla," he snickered.

"I am not!" She objected. "I'm the same size as Mother! At least I think, as far as I can remember."

"Yeah," he answered softly, "that's what I remember too. I was only teasing. I like it actually."

One eye popped open. "Really?"

He sighed. "You just," he carefully scrubbed her hair to buy himself time to gather his thoughts, "you do this thing where you tuck yourself against me. Like you're seeking shelter in me. It's nice. You're the only one who's ever wanted that from me."

"I'll always want that from you, and it has nothing to do with my size. But for the record I like how I fit against you too."

"So," he began once he had thoroughly massaged her scalp and had her all soft and pliable, "what did you mean by 'I'm just getting started?'"

She barely reacted, just opened her eyes and blinked blearily up at him. And then she shrugged, like it was nothing. "I have plans, I've always had plans. As Calliope, as Hermione, now I've just done a little reorganization," she tapped one temple demonstratively.

"Okay?"

"But I'm not sure you're prepared to hear them," she explained with a casual shrug.

He bristled automatically. "I can handle anything you have to tell me."

"Let's finish this first," she gestured generally to her head.

"Of course," he murmured automatically. He was curious and a little nervous, but he wasn't in a hurry. Nothing gave him more pleasure than being able to help her. He knew she thought she'd hidden it well, but he'd noticed how she carried herself, almost as if she was attempting to hold herself together, and how she winced nearly every time she moved over the past several days. He also noticed how she'd relaxed since she'd been alone with him.

"Okay, time to stop stalling," he said after he'd rinsed the conditioner from her hair.

"I was not stalling, I was trying to figure out how to explain." She spun around in his arms and straddled his lap. "Hi," she whispered.

"Why does it feel like you're trying to keep me from having my mind completely on the conversation?" He looked down between them and then back up at her, cocking one eyebrow.

The truth was, he was a little intimidated by how comfortable Calla seemed to be in her own skin and in being physical with him. He loved it, but he hadn't been prepared for it.

"I can move," she offered.

"No, no!" He pulled her back against his chest.

"Seriously though, Draco, tell me if I'm coming on too strong. It's not okay for me to push you either just because I'm the witch and you're the wizard. That's sexist nonsense."

"You think a lot of things are nonsense."

"A lot of things ARE nonsense," she insisted.

"You're not pushing me, you've just surprised me. If you listen to talk, witches are supposed to play hard to get."

She made a little frustrated sound at the back of her throat. "For the record, I think that's nonsense too. And I have no interest in playing games with you Draco."

"I'm glad," he said softly, kissing her jaw.

"Which I suppose means I should tell you my plans now," she sighed dramatically.

He chuckled.

"Do you know what university is?"

He shook his head. He was going to have to track down some Muggle Studies books, it was becoming embarrassing to have a conversation with her.

"They're muggle institutes of higher education."

Draco didn't quite understand what this meant either but he could extrapolate. "Like getting a mastery?"

"Yes!" She beamed at him. "Except it's formal schooling with classes like at Hogwarts, not an apprenticeship, though there are opportunities for things like that depending on your course of study."

"Okay."

"Also, it's kind of a rite of passage and an experience. I always expected to go, dreamed of going. Both of my parents went and they have all these wonderful stories. But then I got my Hogwarts letter and I assumed it would never happen. However, my mum pointed out that I could study on my own and keep it as an option."

"Wait, is that why you study so much?"

She nodded.

"I've never noticed any muggle looking books."

"Of course not," she scoffed, "I glamour them, I'm not an idiot, I'd never hear the end of it if most people knew what I was doing." Draco hesitated and Calla must have noticed because she tilted her head and studied his face. "What is it?"

"I guess I don't understand why you don't just get a mastery. You're a witch, you should be educated like a witch. I would never try and stop you."

"Oh I know you wouldn't, as if you could, " she scoffed. "It's just that there's so much to learn out there Draco, there is so much more beyond the magical world. Though I plan to pursue at least one mastery when I have time. But like I said, uni is an experience as much as anything else, I can get a mastery at anytime but if I wait too long to go to university, I'll be a lot older than the other students and it just won't be the same."

"Okay, well I'm not sure I quite understand, but if it means that much to you we'll figure it out. But I do think I can safely say that I can't attend a muggle school."

"I wasn't expecting that of you," she smirked at him, "you can just be my mysterious, eccentric boyfriend who shows up for parties and to take me to the occasional lunch."

"Boyfriend?" He groused.

She shrugged elegantly. "It occurs to me that it might take Aunt Cissa several years to plan a wedding she's satisfied with, and she only gets to do it once, we should let her have her way."

"You're going to let Mother plan our wedding?"

"I said I wanted a big celebration, not that I cared about the details of the flower arrangements. And Mum won't care about those details either."

"Will your parents like me, do you think? Will they approve?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"Really?"

"Yes, because you love me and you'll treat me well. That's what's important to them. I'm not saying that some aspects of our situation won't take some getting used to for them, or that they won't insist on getting to know you before they just give their blessing, but I'm certain they'll come to love you in time."

Draco considered this. It was strange for him to be so anxious for approval, much less for the approval of two people he'd never met- two _muggles_ he'd never met. It was something he'd only ever desired from a handful of people in his life.

"Why? Are you nervous to meet them?"

"What do you think?"

She smiled at him indulgently. "You don't have anything to worry about. Dad might give you a bit of a hard time, because I suspect he's been waiting for the day that I brought a boy home so that he could do his overprotective father routine, but mostly they won't be aiming to make you uncomfortable on purpose."

Draco frowned. "Is that some kind of muggle tradition?"

"I suppose it is," she smiled slightly. "I promise to have your back though."

"Hmmm," he answered, noncommittally, not knowing what else to say. "What are you going to tell them about...everything that's been going on?"

She sighed. "I have no idea, where do I even start? Do you have any suggestions?"

Draco considered that and realized that he didn't know how to begin to advise her. Calla spoke of her adoptive parents often. She was practically bursting with stories about her life pre-Hogwarts.

He'd known just from observing her that Hermione Granger had been well taken care of, she always had new and high quality books and supplies. The clothes she wore out of uniform seemed nice, if a little odd, and nobody could fault her manners. But now he knew that she'd also had just about every advantage he had: dance and music lessons, she spoke three languages and she had traveled extensively.

She had written her parents to inform them of her injury and that she was in the hospital wing, she'd given no details nor had she told them she'd gotten her memories back, explaining to him and Theo that those weren't things she wanted to tell them by letter. They'd written back every day since to check on her and sent her a large care package of muggle snacks, puzzle books, and little games to keep her occupied while she convalesced. Draco was now fairly addicted to something called "sudoku."

It all put Draco in the incredibly uncomfortable position of feeling ashamed of himself for how he'd once thought of them. And more so for continuing to struggle over knowing how to feel about muggles and the magical children born to them. He didn't want to admit these things to them, these people who had taken in and loved his Calla without question.

It was such a stark contrast to the way he and his family had treated her. Draco couldn't personally imagine living without magic, and he still thought that magicals were better off marrying other magicals for a myriad of reasons, but especially in order to produce magical children. But other than that, well, he was frankly humbled by so much of what he was learning about muggles in general and the Grangers in particular.

But he wasn't ready to admit that yet. Especially because, for all her good qualities, Calla liked to gloat when she was right. So he changed the subject.

"Alright then, Princess, taking down the dark arsehole, university, and at least one mastery. Is that all?" He asked sarcastically.

She gave him a look as if to say: 'I know your game?' But what she actually said was: "I wish you and Teddy would stop calling me that."

"But you are the princess and we are merely your subjects," he winked at her, "but somehow I don't think you're about to tell me that you want to spend the rest of your life being catered to."

She wrinkled her nose. "That actually doesn't appeal to me at all. Though there are certainly things I want to do just for the pleasure of it," she winked at him and he felt his eyes go wide, she smirked. "I want to travel. Oh! I just had a thought, we could take a gap year after Hogwarts and go backpacking!"

"It's too much to hope that isn't exactly what it sounds like, isn't it?" He groaned. "I don't rough it, Calliope," he said, trying to sound stern.

It had no effect on her. "Oh please, with magic you'll be fine. And it'll be good for you to try something new." She started to curl his damp hair around one finger and he got the impression she was trying to distract him again. "Also, at some point the entire Ministry needs to be reformed, but we can take care of that after we track down the people who kidnapped me and make them pay," she explained in a deceptively casual voice.

"Well that sounds like a couple of easy weekend projects," he quipped.

"I'm serious Draco! Any government in which Delores Umbridge can rise to such a high position is deeply flawed. The lack of creature rights in this country is appalling! Muggleborns are second class citizens at best! All of it has fostered an environment where a Dark Lord was allowed to rise to power not once, but twice in a period of just twenty years! It all has to go."

Draco felt a little lightheaded. She sat here with him, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, casually discussing treason. And he knew that she was utterly serious, and that she'd pursue her goals with or without his help.

"I'm going to be the Lady Black, I want to use that," she poked him. "I will _make_ people listen to me."

"So you don't want to be a princess, you want to be a queen." He wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

"Of course not, that sounds very tedious and time consuming. I'll fix it and get out," she pouted playfully, but then she met his eyes with utter seriousness. "I can't, in good conscience, leave things the way that they are."

He just nodded, because somewhere, deep down, he'd known this about her without needing to be told. "And the last thing?" He asked on a sigh.

She didn't look away from him. "You don't think that I believed for one second that you and Teddy were just going to leave it alone, did you? I want to help. Don't treat me like some innocent little witch who needs to be shielded from these things. I'm prepared to get my hands dirty, it wouldn't be the first time. You've seen Mariette Edgecombe lately, haven't you?"

He let out a startled laugh. "So that was you?"

"Of course it was, who else?"

He sighed again, he was in so much trouble and there was nothing to be done about it, he might as well embrace it. "Okay then."

She tucked herself against him again and they sat there in silence for a few minutes. He began to rub her back and realized that his fingers were all pruney. "We should probably get out."

"You didn't tell me about your plans," she said by way of an answer.

"What?"

"I told you my plans for after Hogwarts, but you didn't tell me yours. You must have some."

"I think trying to keep up with you is going to be a full time occupation."

"Haha," she snorted, "seriously, how did you see yourself?"

He shrugged. "I guess in the back of my mind I always thought my life would look a lot like Father's: helping run the estate and the business, and now I have the Black estate to take care of on my own."

"Why do I sense a 'but?'"

"Because there is one which is: but Father had Mother and she was the center of it all."

"And I was gone," she surmised.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "it was just easier not to think too hard about it. I worked hard with my tutors and here at Hogwarts, I've kept my options open, but I didn't make plans like you have."

"Oh Draco," she placed a sweet kiss on his lips, "I'm sorry, of the two of us I think you had it worse."

He squeezed her hips. "You're here now."

"What would you have done-" she cut herself off.

"What? Tell me."

"What would you have done if you'd never found me?"

"I probably would have held out as long as I felt that I could, your father didn't get married until he was in his forties, after all, it's not unrespectable. But eventually I think I would have felt like it was time to find a witch who I could stand well enough to produce an heir. If I couldn't have you, the very least I could do was my duty."

"How depressing," she whispered. "I hate this hypothetical witch, by the way."

"I'm not particularly fond of her myself."

"That's what girls like Parkinson were counting on, right?"

"I assume. But just for the record it never would have been Pansy." Calla made a little sound in the back of her throat, which, coming from a bigger person probably could have been described as a growl. He laughed. "You really can't stand her, can you?"

"I really can't."

He cleared his throat. "Speaking of heirs…"

"Yes?"

"You didn't say anything about having a family."

"Well, I thought it went without saying that we would someday."

It was all he could do not to breathe a sigh of relief at the way she'd framed her answer. "But not right away?"

She barked out a laugh. "Were you listening to my plans? I'm going to be busy for at least the next ten or fifteen years. I have neither the time nor inclination to be anybody's mother now or for the foreseeable future. I'm sorry if that sounds terribly selfish."

"It doesn't, or at least if it is, then I'm selfish too. I just got you back, it's going to be a long, long time before I'm willing to share you."

"Babies are needy," she nodded sagely, and then wrinkled her nose, "and little kids are sticky."

He laughed. "I don't remember ever being sticky. I don't remember you or Theo being sticky either."

"Well, we were extraordinary children," she said primly.

"You have a point," he conceded, "hopefully that means we can expect to have extraordinary children...someday," he emphasized the last word.

"Someday," she confirmed. "Why did you ask me that?" She peered at him, eyes sparkling with humor. "Did you think I was going to go all broody on you? I'm sixteen."

"That hasn't stopped a lot of witches around here."

"True," she sighed, "to each their own I guess. Some women are more maternal than others and I know it's fairly common to start a family immediately after leaving Hogwarts, but honestly, I think that has more to do with the way our society values women primarily as wives and mothers. Though, if our betrothal was more contract than love match I might want to just get it over with too."

"Something else you want to change?"

She shrugged. "Teddy doesn't have an intended he hasn't mentioned, does he? I'm sure he's gotten offers."

"I'm certain he has too, and he's probably about to get more."

"Oh right, since I've officially taken you off the market," she leaned forward and nipped his jaw. "Mine."

"Mmmm," he hummed, he wouldn't have dreamed of disputing her claim.

"And I suppose it would have been rather hypocritical of Father to attempt to force his hand."

"I'm not sure your father's done much thinking about the future in the years since you disappeared either, Calla."

And then, as if summoned, there was a pounding on the door and Theo's voice floated through, shouting that they'd been in there long enough.

"I think we've exhausted his patience."

Calla narrowed her eyes in the direction of her brother's voice. "Oh, we are definitely going to be having a talk."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ten days in the hospital wing. Ten. Over the last two she'd picked fights with both Draco and Teddy just for something to do. In her defense, their combined hovering and coddling was stifling even if they did mean well, and she'd apologized profusely afterwards.

Neville and Luna had been to see her several times, but none of her other friends had made an appearance. So that's why, when she was finally, _finally, _being discharged just in time for the leaving feast, she was surprised that Harry showed up asking for her.

Draco and Teddy both bristled at the announcement of his appearance. And while Hermione felt sympathetic towards their defensive behavior, they also didn't get to dictate her friendships, so she ignored them, hoping to avoid an argument. "Let him in please, Madam Pomfrey. I'll talk to Harry and then we'll be out of your hair."

She made a mental note to speak to Aunt Cissa about arranging something special for the school Mediwitch. Ten days of healing was far outside of her usual purview, and she had never faltered in Hermione's care. And while her fierce guardianship during her auror interview had been unnecessary - Aunt Narcissa had never left her side - it had been much appreciated.

"What!?" Draco and Teddy screeched - predictably- in tandem.

"You can't!"

"Absolutely not!"

"No!" She held up one finger in both of their directions. "I appreciate your concern, but you don't get to tell me how to live my life. He is my friend and I want to talk to him. He means something to me and I don't want to spend all summer wondering what he has to say for himself. Please step outside."

She felt badly about how upset they both looked. The last time she'd seen Harry she'd reinjured herself, but she was healed well enough now that she was in no danger of doing that again. And they couldn't hover at her side every minute for the rest of her life, which she was fairly sure they would attempt to do if she wasn't firm with them.

Especially Draco.

Her stern expression and tone of voice apparently did its job. They both sighed but gave her a kiss on the cheek in turn, and then started to leave the room. They passed Harry in the doorway and the way the three of them all glared at each other was so over the top that it was nearly comical.

Harry stopped just inside the room, shuffling nervously on his feet. She gave him a tentative smile.

"Are you-"

"How are-"

They spoke at the same time.

She laughed. "Go ahead."

He also laughed, but she could tell how nervous he was. However, he spoke. "I heard you were being released tonight. Does that mean you're better?"

"I still have potions to take, but yes, I'm much better."

"Good," he sighed in relief, "that's good."

"I was going to ask how you are, but I guess that's a stupid question," she answered, there was no way he was okay following Sirius' death. Hermione may have been only sixteen but she was smart, her parents were medical professionals, and most importantly she knew Harry. He was brave and great in many ways, but he was in no way emotionally prepared to deal with this situation.

"It sucks. But I'm better than I thought I would be, actually."

That was the most she thought he would be able to admit, so she just nodded. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she whispered.

He swallowed repeatedly and nodded. "You sent Dobby to me," he said, voice thick.

"I did, or rather," she smiled wryly to herself. "I suggested that if he wanted a family that I might know somebody. That elf does as he pleases. Did you bond with him?"

Harry nodded and finally met her eyes. "After he answered all of my questions about what was in your letter and then gave me a stern talking to about how I'd treated Miss Calla."

"Oh!" She let out a startled laugh, "I didn't know he was going to do that."

"I think I needed to hear it. I'm really sorry, Hermione. Or, um, do you prefer Calliope?"

She shook her head vigorously. "No, like I said the other day, I think it would just be weird if you called me that. Hermione is just fine."

"Okay, that's good, because you're right, it would be weird. This is all really weird."

"You're telling me," she snorted.

"Why did you send him to me?" Harry continued to scuff the toe of his shoe against the floor and just generally squirmed, confusing Hermione, as he seemed to be far more uncomfortable than she thought the question warranted.

"Well, he needed a family. I could tell he didn't want to bond with Hogwarts. He wasn't really happy here. And I knew that you could use an elf. He explained all the things that he could help you with, didn't he?"

Harry just looked at her for the longest time, frowning. "Yeah, he did. But that's not what I meant. I was wondering why you sent him to me after the way I talked to you?"

Hermione's heart sunk, she knew her friend's self-confidence was in the garbage, but it was painful to witness. "Oh Harry. Because you're my friend, and I know you're hurting right now. I had an idea that might make things a little better for you, something which costs me nothing."

"Well thank you, it's more than I deserve."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that. She loved Harry and he was important to her, but his apology didn't negate the hurt she felt over his reaction to discovering her true identity. However, she also didn't want to dwell on that, it must have taken a lot of courage for him to come to her like this and it was appreciated. "Dobby's a powerful elf who occupied the most important position in House Malfoy. I would hurt for any elf longing for a family, but it was especially hard to see Dobby like that. I'm glad you bonded to him."

"I hurt him by freeing him," Harry sighed.

She shook her head. "You weren't to know, you meant well. He wanted it, he was hurting worse where he was."

Harry's head shot up and his eyes flashed. "And you're just okay with that? What about S.P.E.W.? How can you be around people who would treat elves like that?" He demanded.

"Right, _now_ he says it properly," she murmured to herself, then she took a deep breath. "Teddy and Draco would never mistreat an elf, neither would Aunt Cissa, and honestly. I'd never let them get away with it if they tried. Draco thought Dobby had died, he was horrified when he found out what had happened; he still is. We were willing to bond with him ourselves but we weren't sure if Draco's connection to Uncle Lucius would sour it, and he prefered you anyway."

"Merlin, this is so weird," Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "You and Malfoy? Really?"

"Really."

"But he's Malfoy! He's-"

"I know he's a snob and a bully," she interrupted.

"He's a bigot, Hermione! He's practically already a Death Eater," he shouted, gesticulating wildly.

Hermione's eyes fell shut and she reached blindly for Harry, pulling him to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. "He is a bigot, and it's not okay. But that doesn't stop me from loving him, that's just not how love works. And let me just say that there's more going on there than you know, more than I can tell you without breaking his confidence. I'm not asking you to understand, or to try and be his friend, all I'm asking is that you put a little bit of trust in me and don't make me choose between you."

Harry blew out a long breath. "I don't even know what to think anymore. I've learned some things lately. Some things I don't know how to begin to process, and normally I would probably ask you but…"

"Now you don't know if you can trust me?"

"Can you blame me?!" He practically shouted. "I mean I want to, you're my best friend. Or, you were, but now it seems like your loyalties lie elsewhere."

"They haven't changed."

"Your father is a Death Eater!" He snapped.

"So was Sirius' brother," she countered, refusing to look away from him.

He narrowed his eyes in her direction. "That was a low blow."

"It was just a reminder, Harry. Are you in the business of judging people for things that their relatives do and that they have no control over now? And may I remind you that I have two fathers, and my other one, the one I've spent most of my life with is a _muggle_?"

He appeared slightly shamefaced by this reminder.

"I will admit that I will fight tooth and nail before I allow any harm to come to Draco or Teddy. But don't you see that I know better than anybody how this disgusting ideology, which has split not just our society, but families, is? So, I also plan on fighting to eradicate it. Just as I always have."

"Sirius broke away from his family," Harry huffed, but Hermione could tell that he was running out of steam.

"That was brave of him," she answered softly, "but everything that I ever heard Sirius say about his parents was that they were cold and cruel and he was anxious to get away from them. My memories of my family are of a warm and loving environment. That doesn't excuse my father or my godfather's actions. I will never, ever, support the Death Eater cause. As individual men I'm still figuring out how I feel about them. I assume it will be a long process," she bit back a sob. "But I have your back Harry, when it comes to Voldemort, whether you believe it or not."

There was a long period of silence.

"I actually kind of get that."

"What?"

"About your father."

"You do?" She couldn't keep the incredulosity out of her voice.

"Yeah," he breathed. "It turns out that my father wasn't quite who I thought he was either."

Hermione was morbidly curious about what that statement meant, but she could sense that this was the wrong time to ask. So, they just sat together for even longer this time until Hermione began to realize that it was only a matter of time before Teddy and Draco came beating at the door. "Hey," she nudged his shoulder gently with hers and was pleased when he didn't flinch.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if, once we left Hogwarts, you would be okay with me calling Dobby. I wanted to send you some books, maybe check in on you."

"Books?" He questioned, finally meeting her eyes, his own sparkled like they had so many times in the past when he was teasing her.

She decided to call his bluff. "It hasn't escaped my notice that you actually like reading in your spare time, you just don't want to admit it to Ron. You named Hedwig after a witch who wasn't even mentioned until at least half way through our first year history of magic book."

He quickly looked away and she nudged him again. "I won't tell him. Anyway, the books are of the practical variety. Social etiquette, wizarding politics, history of humans with other magical races, that kind of thing."

"You think I need that?"

"I think," she lowered her voice. "I think Voldemort is after you and you need every advantage you can get. I also think we've been ignoring many of the basic tenets of this society and just expected to get away with it. It wasn't our fault, we didn't know better, but I think it's time to remedy that."

He frowned. "Since when do you care about that?"

"Since I got my memories back and with them a whole other perspective."

"I thought you said that your ideals haven't changed."

"They haven't. But you couldn't very well expect to win at quidditch without knowing the rules of the game, could you?"

His face began to dawn with understanding.

"And if you thought those rules were unfair, then you'd need a damn good understanding of them to make your point, and change them, wouldn't you?"

His lips twitched and then he started to shake his head. "Send me your books, Hermione."

"I knew you'd see reason," she grinned.

Draco and Teddy were literally leaning on each side of the door when she opened it just a couple of minutes later, looking like they were prepared to charge in at any time.

"Everything okay?" Teddy asked.

"Everything is fine." She reached out a hand behind her for Harry who took it and allowed her to grasp his arm. "Lets go."

All three boys started to protest.

"I'm not so proud that I can't admit I need some help getting all the way to dinner. Do any of you want to bow out?" She challenged.

They immediately went silent.

"This isn't exactly neutral," Draco hissed as he hovered at her side.

"Everybody knows that Harry is my best friend. I can't be expected to just abandon him," she hissed in return before shooing him forward.

"What does that mean?" Harry murmured in her ear.

"We- me and Teddy, and the Malfoys are trying to position ourselves as neutral for the time being. With Voldemort and all that," she shrugged, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal.

He came to a startled halt. "You aren't going to the Order?"

She squeezed his arm. "That was my first thought too, but do you really think that we would be accepted, much less welcomed? And our fathers, for all their faults, are still our fathers. I'm not ready to sentence them to death by taking sanctuary with the enemy. This isn't like with Umbridge, this is...a dance."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and took a long breath, but she was gratified to see that he kept his temper. "I hate that I understand what you mean," he eventually said. "I hate that I think I probably need to learn to dance in my own way."

"Me too. But I'll send you all the books that you can read. In fact, you can feel free to send Dobby to me whenever you need something you can't find elsewhere. It's nice to have resources," she shrugged self-consciously, "But I'll understand if you don't want my help."

"I need to think," he breathed.

"Yes," she chuckled, "good idea."

He appeared momentarily startled but the small joke also seemed to jolt him out of his stupor and he began walking again, Teddy and Draco were waiting on them just a few metres ahead, both eyeing them speculatively. She just shook her head.

The Great Hall went silent when the four of them entered it - mostly - together despite the fact that there was still a few minutes before the start of the feast. It took a moment for Hermione to realize that Teddy and Draco, who had preceded them, had not broken off to go to their own House table but had circled around to follow her and Harry to the Gryffindor table.

"I'm sorry, boys," she turned and spoke to the two Slytherins once she and Harry had reached an open spot on the benches near their friends, "were you resorted while I was in the hospital?"

"Of course not," Draco snorted indignantly, but Teddy's eyes were narrowed in contemplation.

"Then go back to your own table."

"Calla!"

She softened slightly at the panic on both of their faces and lowered her voice. "It's the Leaving Feast. Your House has won the Cup, you should be over there celebrating with them. I'll be just here, you'll be able to see me the whole time."

Teddy let out a long sigh but then stepped forward, kissed her forehead, and stepped away, but Draco's eyes were intense.

"Dragon," she soothed, "you've literally wrapped your namesake around my wrist."

She held her bracelet up as a demonstration. "I don't think anybody is in any doubt that we belong together," his eyes met hers at that statement. He smirked and he too stepped forward until he could sweep her - gently- into his arms, and then he lowered his lips to hers and delved thoroughly into her mouth.

The Hall remained in stunned silence at their display - if it was possible the silence became even more overbearing - and so her small whimper was easily heard. He pulled away, but then pulled her back in to leave one hard kiss on her lips before ripping himself away and stomping off in a predictable temper that he hadn't gotten his way.

Hermione was thinking that it would almost be cute - if it wasn't so obnoxious - when those thoughts were interrupted by the voice of her roommate, Lavender Brown: "Oh Merlin, it's going to take all night to talk about this!"

Perhaps Draco would get his way and she'd spend her night in the dungeons.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dinner was a strained affair for everybody, but especially Hermione. Dumbledore's announcement of Slytherin as the winner of the House Cup was met with barely polite applause from the remainder of the school and was subdued even at the Slytherin table. Hermione wondered if that was just what the castle had been like since she'd been in the hospital.

When the food appeared on the table in front of her Hermione gingerly reached forward and began serving herself a few small portions.

"Welcome back, Hermione," said Neville, who was sitting across from her. "Are you feeling okay, do you need any help?"

"Thank you, Neville. And I'm fine, just sore. I don't have much of an appetite but I'm certain that Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there," she hooked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the Slytherins, "are watching me like hawks and will be over here to force feed me if I don't make a real effort."

"They seemed sweet to me," said Parvati who was tilting her head like she was trying to figure something out.

Hermione nodded and contemplated what she was about to say. Draco and Teddy may not thank her for it, but she thought her housemates could use a little insight into what they were really like. The Gryffindors had a lot of reasons to dislike her boys, especially Draco, but there was more to them than the image they projected, they were still just teenagers, and they certainly were not their fathers. Which was a confusing thought for her in and of itself as it felt like a betrayal of two men who she still loved very much, almost against her own will.

"They are," she agreed, "very sweet." She reached up and touched the calla lily adorning her chignon, "this is from Draco. And he's been the one helping me with my hair." Hermione actually heard a collective sigh from the witches around her. "And I understand how it's difficult for them to be apart from me right now, but I've basically been locked in a room with them for the past ten days so I'm also ready to knock their heads together."

Parvati giggled.

"So what?" Asked Ron, "Malfoy's your hairdresser now?"

He was seated further from her than he usually would have been and Hermione was actually surprised he was acknowledging her at all.

"It's a perfectly respectful thing for a wizard to do for his witch. My father used to help my mother with hers, she had hair like mine," she answered quietly, but as soon as she realized what she had said she snapped her mouth closed as she would never intentionally use her mother's memory like that.

There was a beat of uncomfortable silence before Dean, bless him, who was seated on her other side and had been sitting silent and stiff as a board before this moment said: "So, it's okay if we still call you Hermione?"

"Hermione, Calliope, whatever you prefer. As you probably heard the boys say, my family used to call me Calla. Teddy calls me Twin. Draco still sometimes calls me Granger, at this point I'd probably answer to just about anything," she shot him a little grin and he smiled at her in return.

"I've found it's generally easiest to just call out 'I'm headed to the library!' and she comes running," Harry quipped.

"Oh Harry Potter, you're not fooling anybody, going to the library has never been your idea." She turned to grin at her friend and he cracked one in return. She breathed a sigh of relief, maybe they would be okay after all.

The rest of dinner was quiet but Hermione kept bracing herself for the hostility she had assumed she would face. It never came, but the possibility kept her tense all through the meal. Finally she decided to excuse herself even though it was tradition to linger at the Leaving Feast to finish saying your goodbyes for the summer.

As she started to rise from the table Harry immediately stood and helped her up. "Leaving already?"

"Yeah, I'm still healing and the trip back on the Express is always tiring, I should get to bed."

"I'll walk you back to the Tower."

"That's not necessary Harry, I'm sure Draco and Teddy will be along momentarily."

"I wouldn't want to be accused of not taking care of you."

Hermione rolled her eyes to herself. She could see a lot more male posturing in her future.

"Pav and I will walk with her until they catch up," Lavender suddenly piped up. Hermione looked at the other girl to see her looking back with a strangely hopeful expression.

"Thank you Lavender. See, Harry, my roommates will take care of me."

Harry looked at her doubtfully but sat back down. Hermione stepped away from the table and Lavender and Parvati came over and gently each took one of her arms.

"Are you really okay? With everything, I mean? We realize there's a lot going on with you," Parvati asked with a gravity Hermione had only occasionally heard from the witch, and she was touched by her concern, so she decided to be totally honest.

"Physically I'll be fine. I'm still working through everything else."

"We wanted to come see you but we weren't sure if we were allowed," Lavender added.

Hermione looked between her roommates and saw open expressions of concern on both of their faces and she wanted to kick herself. They were not close, but they had lived together for five years. They had a certain camaraderie. And earlier this year they'd trusted her enough to join Dumbledore's Army. It should have occurred to her that they would be worried. Yet she hadn't considered them, hadn't invited them to visit her with the rest of her friends, hadn't even sent them a note.

"Oh, you would have been welcome. I'm sorry. I should have checked in. Like you said, there's just been a lot going on and I didn't think."

"It's okay, we understand, we just wanted you to know we were thinking of you."

"Thank you," she said quietly. Then she heard the sound of feet slapping against the stone floor approaching them rapidly from behind. "I apologise in advance for them, they really are very overprotective."

The girls just giggled.

Draco and Teddy caught up to them right before they reached the entrance to the Hall and circled around to stand in front of them.

"What are you doing?" Teddy demanded.

"Walking to Gryffindor Tower, you know, where we live?"

"I thought you were spending the night with me?" Asked Draco, visibly pouting.

"I said I would think about it," she corrected.

"Calla, please."

She sighed. The truth was that she questioned her ability to sleep well by herself, if at all. Even with Draco holding her and Teddy in the next bed she'd had nightmares nearly every night she'd been in the hospital wing. But as much as the boys' care and concern were appreciated, she also hated feeling like a damsel in distress.

"How is it even a question?" Asked Lavender.

Hermione shot her a look but the other witch just arched an eyebrow at her. Hermione sighed, taking her point - her cold empty bed versus being snuggled in with her handsome betrothed, which wasn't even against school rules. It wasn't a question.

"Okay," she agreed. "But I still want to go back to the tower for awhile: get packed, hang out with my friends, just be in my room again. You should go to the dungeons and celebrate with your housemates and then you can come and get me before curfew."

They exchanged a glance but nodded. "Allow us to escort you ladies to your Tower though," said Teddy, extending an arm to Parvati who was standing closest to him.

Hermione sighed but then she considered that it might not be such a bad thing to give Lavender and Parvati the opportunity to actually talk to them. Draco took the arm that Parvati had released and looked at Lavender. "Would you please stay on her other side in case she needs more help?" He asked.

"I'm not that fragile," Hermione objected automatically.

"How many staircases have you climbed since you were injured, Calla?" He paused to let her think about that and she knew he realised the moment reality set in. "That's right, zero. Truth is, we don't really know what you're physically capable of at the moment, so could you just cut me some slack and not push yourself? You almost died, and then you almost died again right in front of me! Do you have any idea what that was like?" His breath hitched and he looked away from her.

Hermione closed her eyes as her heart sank. Merlin, but he was right. She was being such a brat, and all for the sake of her pride. "I'm sorry Dragon. It's no excuse, but I'm not used to relying on other people."

"Let's just go," he murmured, but he squeezed the hand resting on his arm.

"This is your betrothal piece?" Lavender asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence once they'd started moving and gently touching the wrist adorned with her dragon bracelet.

"It is. Isn't it gorgeous?" She lifted her arm so Lavender could get a closer look.

"Ohhh," she cooed, "it is. Very unique."

"Did you pick it out?" Parvati wondered, looking at Draco.

He cleared his throat. "I did. It's a Malfoy heirloom, but I chose it for Calla."

"Well you have good taste. And Hermione's hair looks great."

Draco groaned and narrowed his eyes playfully at Hermione. "You told them about that? Are you trying to completely emasculate me?"

"Oh please," she scoffed. "Now, instead of just half of the girls in Gryffindor being jealous of me, all of them are...and a fair few boys, I imagine."

Draco just glared.

"She's not wrong," snorted Lavender.

"Hey!" Hermione objected with a laugh, "he's taken!"

"Oh that is very obvious," she responded, but there was no bite in it.

"I, on the other hand, am very much single," Teddy chimed in with a significant look at Parvati.

Hermione felt her eyes go wide but shook it off, she didn't have the energy at the moment to begin to unpack what that might mean.

A few minutes later, with a fair amount of embarrassing huffing and puffing on Hermione's part they reached Gryffindor Tower. Then, with even more effort, the three witches were ensconced in their dorm room.

Hermione perched at the end of her bed and Lavender spun around to face her. "So, Draco Malfoy?" She squealed, putting one finger in her mouth and biting down on it to accentuate her meaning.

Hermione felt herself flush. "I know. He's…"

"Intense," Parvati supplied. "The way he looks at you, I swear it could set you on fire. It would be weird to be around you, but it's also really sweet. Which is weird in a different way because he's usually…"

"A complete and utter prat?" Hermione interrupted. Both girls laughed. "It's a defense mechanism, to keep people distant," she paused and bit her lip, but then she decided: in for a penny, in for a pound. "He's had a hard time since I was kidnapped."

"Oh, wow, that actually makes a lot of sense," said Lavender.

"Well that," Hermione's lips twitched, "and he actually is an entitled git who throws a fit whenever he doesn't get his way."

They both laughed again.

"It must have been hard for Theo too, losing his sister like that," said Parvati who shrugged when the two other witches looked at her at her apparent non-sequitur. "I have a twin too. I know that Padma and I aren't always on the same page, but I can't imagine what it would be like if she suddenly wasn't there." She rubbed the heel of her palm against her breast bone.

"It felt like that," Hermione said, pressing her own hand to her chest. "An ache, a longing, heavy within me all the time. And I didn't even know what I was missing, I can't imagine how much worse it probably was for him."

"Merlin," Lavender breathed.

There was a pregnant pause and Hermione gathered her courage. "Not that I'm complaining, but everybody, you two in particular, seem to be taking the news of my identity and my betrothal really well. A lot better than I expected, if I'm being honest."

They exchanged a nervous glance.

"Whatever you have to say, just say it."

"Neville kind of made it clear to us Gryffindor DA members that we needed to consider that this might be hard for you and to not be stupid about how we reacted to you."

"He was pretty hot when he did it too," Lavender added.

Hermione considered that. Like all the boys, Neville had grown up significantly in the past couple of years. He'd shed the baby fat that had made him seem so young and awkward when he'd arrived at Hogwarts and started to come into his own magically. All he'd needed was an infusion of confidence.

"And Harry's been backing him for the past couple of days, nobody's keen to cross him these days. Plus," she was quick to add, "we've been living in the same room for five years, we _know _you."

Hermione felt guilt settle in her stomach. She'd never given them the benefit of the doubt like this. She got up and began to rifle through her trunk, just for something to occupy herself in order to disguise her embarrassment. But what she found only made her feel worse. Piles and piles of muggle clothing. Aside from her uniform she only had a couple of sets of witches' robes.

She saw it all in a new light now: all the times her roommates - both traditional purebloods in their own ways - had given her suggestions for where she could buy casual robes, the cuts which might suit her, the best colors for her. And then there had been her hair, they had spent the first few years living together offering to help her with it. Lavender, who had curly hair herself, often suggested products for her to try. She had thought they were making fun of her, but maybe they had just been trying to help her fit in.

She fell back onto the end of her bed and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, I think I may have misjudged you two completely."

"It's okay," Lavender patted her hand, "we figured it out awhile ago, we just couldn't figure out how to tell you without being completely insulting."

"Thank you for trying to look out for me."

They exchanged another uncomfortable look.

"What?"

"Well, speaking of...there's something you need to know."

Hermione let out a long breath. This was the longest fortnight of her life. "I think it's safe to say that I'm not going to like whatever you have to say, so just tell me."

Lavender and Parvati nodded at each other, seeming to silently agree how to broach the subject.

"Okay," Lavender began, "so here's the thing. We know you don't really listen to gossip. But I think, after this year you have to admit that it can be a remarkably efficient tool."

Hermione nodded and in that moment decided to never cross these girls. They had depths which she'd allowed herself to be blind to because she was threatened by their looks and their social status even though she'd known that they both got better grades than Ron and Harry.

"But I think even you must have noticed Pansy Parkinson's interest in Draco?"

Hermione snorted, but nodded again.

"She's been spreading it around that she and Draco have been intimate since around the time he took her to the Yule Ball last year."

Blood rushed in Hermione's ears. "Intimate?"

"Yeah," Lavender's eyes softened in sympathy. "As in, going all the way. Some of her stories have been pretty explicit."

For a moment jealousy raged through Hermione's system and she was ready to march down to the dungeons and confront her betrothed. But then she remembered the truly stunned look on his face when she had asked him about the possibility that he might be dating Pansy, the way he'd turned bright red at the mere sight of her bikini clad body, and the memory of his hesitant touches; none of which were the reactions of an experienced wizard. And when it came down to it, she trusted Draco to tell her the truth.

However, the other witches apparently took Hermione's silence for anger.

"But Hermione," Parvati interrupted her thoughts, "some of the things she's been saying just seem kind of…" she looked to Lavender for assistance.

"Outlandish," the other witch provided, and Parvati nodded in agreement.

"I mean, does he actually have a dragon tattoo on his hip?"

Hermione couldn't help it, she burst out laughing and shook her head. "Merlin, if you're going to lie, at least be good at it!"

Lavender and Parvati both smiled and seemed to relax. "Does that mean it's not true?"

"I can tell you for certain that Draco doesn't have any tattoos." Hermione smirked. "But don't spread that around." However, as soon as she spoke she rethought her words. "Actually, you know what, go ahead and spread that around."

Her roommates looked at her like she'd just granted them an early Christmas.

"What else has she been saying?"

"Basically just that they've done it in practically every broom cupboard in the castle."

Hermione frowned. Pansy was risking her reputation to spread that around; without any kind of promise from Draco, it didn't make any sense.

Lavender and Parvati shared another glance. Merlin but they were experts at silent communication.

"Please just spit it out, I'm not that fragile."

"Before the announcement in the Prophet there was already a rumour going around that you - Calliope - had been found, and it was like Pansy couldn't shut up about what she'd been up to with Draco for the past two years…" Lavender trailed off, but then she began speaking again with an apologetic shrug. "But she couldn't back away from her claims fast enough when she realized that your betrothal was blood bound."

Hermione would blame her injury on the fact that it took her a full thirty seconds to catch onto the other witch's insinuation.

"She was trying to sabotage my betrothal with Draco?"

"That's what we thought, yes," answered Parvati quietly.

"She thought she could make my father cancel our contract if Draco was in breach," Hermione continued, speaking only to herself, feeling like a fool. She should have suspected. A witch like Pansy Parkinson, who was audacious enough to accuse her of using love potions on two of the most famous wizards in their world would not rest on her laurels, waiting for the day that Draco would give up on Calliope. She would take action. She had taken action.

And now she would regret it.

"Hermione, what are you thinking?" Lavender asked. Hermione looked up to see a downright Draco-esque smirk on the blonde's face. "Because I think we'd very much like to help."

Parvarti nodded enthusiastically.

Hermione grinned at them. "I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

**Author's Note: Happy Easter weekend to you all, I hope you're staying home and safe! For fans of 'An Unexpected Malfoy,' just FYI, I plan to update tomorrow. I am taking this month to focus on that fic but I've kept a few things on the backburner for y'all and given the way things are going, I'm really glad I did. Thank you to Weestartmeggie for being an amazing alpha/beta. And thank you for reading! **


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Draco watched Calla's interactions with Pansy with what he knew to be badly disguised horror. The fact that Theo was practically gaping at them as well made him feel only slightly better about his own inability to be subtle.

The two witches were chatting as if they were friends. Calla was giggling. Pansy seemed to suddenly love her and to have forgotten any animosity that had existed between them for years. It was highly suspicious.

Pansy was not stupid, but she was predictable. She only operated on a few levels. Calla was much more troublesome, in that she was brilliant, and despite her Gryffindor sorting, she was often unpredictable; or, if he was being honest, dangerous.

He'd collected her from Gryffindor Tower the night before and she'd looked well, much better than she had since he'd seen her injured. It made him happy, but he was surprised. He was under the impression that she didn't get along with her roommates. However, she'd happily allowed them to accompany her out of dinner and had spent the evening with them, and then they'd helped her down from the girls dormitories and out of the portrait hole where she'd parted from them with hugs.

"Where's Teddy?" She asked.

Draco laughed. "Would you guess that he drank the spiked punch? I actually don't think he meant to, but he's fast asleep, face down on his bed. You're welcome, by the way, for helping him get there, otherwise he'd still be in the common room."

"I don't know if I should laugh or be angry with him."

"It's not his fault," he defended Theo, almost unwillingly. He didn't particularly want to fight the other wizard's battles for him, but he hated to see Calla upset.

She snickered. "I have a hard time believing he's that naive. But he's almost of age, it's not really worth my time to get mad at him."

He just nodded but didn't comment.

He led her carefully to the dungeons, at one point when her breathing became ragged he turned and offered her his back for a piggy back ride. At first she scoffed until he asked: "Must we do this again, Calla?"

She sighed, accepted his gentle rebuke, and allowed him to hitch her up onto his back.

"Hold on however you can, love, I won't drop you."

She pulled her arms against her chest and clung to his shoulders, it was still too painful to lift her arms and put them around his neck. And he was right, it was less trying on her healing body than trying to traipse through a dozen corridors and down nearly as many staircases. It didn't matter anyway, there was nobody around to see her looking so vulnerable.

They made it to Slytherin House and he put her down carefully and then led her through what had seemed to be a blank space in the wall until he'd muttered a password and it had opened for them. He looked back at her and he couldn't conceal the proud smile that adorned his face, he knew the Slytherin common room was impressive.

She let out a breath, half sigh, half gasp of pleasure. "It's different from Gryffindor, but it's lovely in it's own way."

He would take that.

He led her to his own room. "It's so unfair that you get rooms to yourselves," she griped, as she had been griping for days, ever since the subject of their dormitory situation had come up and she'd revealed that she still had to share with two other girls.

He and Theo had both been rather appalled.

It was so plebeian. So Gryffindor.

Draco had tolerated having roommates for three years, but only because it was expected, as part of his schooling, just as he'd been expected to forgo having a broomstick for his first year, it was something his ancestors had endured for centuries and he considered it a rite of passage. But he would no more tolerate another wizard in his space at this point in his life than he would a wild animal.

But he welcomed Calla into it.

She took a step into his room, and paused, looking around thoughtfully, and Draco found himself to be uncharacteristically nervous in the way that only she could make him. Even when he'd only known her as Hermone Granger.

He'd been so excited for her to see his dorm. And yet, now that she was here, he found himself rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "It's not much."

"No, it's great, Dragon. I love it. It isn't as stark as I might have imagined it being. But then again, most of the image you give off is false."

He wasn't certain if he was complimented or insulted, and decided on a little of both. Except that the happy look on her face as she took in his quarters had him feeling decidedly pleased. He nudged her further into the room. He wanted some time alone with his witch and if they lingered in the corridor some other nosey student was bound to come along and question them.

"This is really nice," she said softly, circling the room, allowing her fingertips to skim the bedding and the furnishings. "I'd wish I had my own room but I think I've just started to get to know my roommates, so maybe I'm better off sharing?"

She looked up at him, one hand clutching his duvet.

"You had a good evening then?" He asked.

"Yeah, I cleared some things up with the girls. You?"

"Party was nice… a little quiet."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I suppose that's understandable given everything."

Her eyes caught on something sitting on the top of his desk then: his latest sketchbook. He wasn't certain if he'd left it there, subconsciously hoping she'd see it and want to look at it, or if it was truly an accident, but he didn't attempt to stop her from going over and opening it.

"Draco!" She gasped. "You still draw?" He was momentarily startled by her use of the word 'still,' but then again, even at four he had always been scribbling over spare pieces of parchment. And then she lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Of course you do, I've seen you do it, I just didn't process what it meant. "These —" she flipped through his latest sketch pad — "are beautiful."

She began to turn the pages more slowly and he knew why. He was well aware what his primary subject was: her. And when it wasn't her, it was the flower that had given her a nickname. He couldn't decide if he was ashamed or not; it did seem a little pathetic.

When the tears started rolling down her cheeks he decided that he was proud, but also horrified to have upset her; she quickly quieted him by approaching him and covering his face and neck with kisses. Then, before he could really process what was happening, she undressed to her underthings, and crawled underneath his covers.

"Please come to bed Dragon."

He paused for a moment, a little overwhelmed with having Calla here with him, in his bed, but then he quickly shed his own clothing and crawled in beside her, taking her into his arms as he did so. If he had anything to say about it she would never spend another night away from him. But as soon as he scooted in behind her it hit him: there was no Theo in the corner to act as chaperone, no professor bound to turn up at any point to boot them out of the prefects bath, nobody at all.

For the first time since they'd been very small, it was really just the two of them. He curled himself around her and buried his face in her neck. Her scent was familiar, and also heartbreakingly foreign.

He shuddered against her. "How can things be so perfect and also such a mess at the same time?" They were all talking a big game, taking things a day at a time, but the truth was, after they left Hogwarts' walls tomorrow, they really didn't know what would happen. They would have to face Calla's adoptive parents, and when it came down to it they could only hope that the Dark Lord would leave them alone. He wasn't naive enough not to realize that none of them had truly begun to process their feelings about their Fathers' actions and current circumstances.

"We'll figure this out," she assured him. He carefully hugged her closer and chose to believe her.

Draco had the best night's sleep he'd experienced, possibly ever. He had a peaceful breakfast, despite Calla being across the Hall, and he was beginning to accept that she wouldn't tolerate him lurking at her side forever. It was when they boarded the train that her behavior became downright bizarre and troublesome.

She insisted that she was fine sitting with his friends, that she would just make hers uncomfortable, that it wasn't a big deal. He hadn't questioned her because he'd wanted to keep her with him and Theo, under their protection and he wasn't going to look a gift hippogriff in the mouth.

She was formidable enough under normal circumstances, but it wasn't something he would leave to chance, and at the moment she couldn't even make her way from her own dormitory to his. So he had been happy not to have the argument especially because he'd yet to fully determine how the majority of the school population was taking the revelation of her true identity.

But twenty minutes in a compartment with Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, and he had known something was off. It was as if his witch was trying to make friends with the other girl, whom he knew her to despise. But the third time he'd tried to inject himself into their conversation, attempting to avert what he was certain to be disaster, Calla had pinched his inner thigh so viciously that he'd decided that she either knew what she was doing, or, even if she didn't she was determined enough that he wasn't going to try to interrupt her plan.

Being with Calla was a treat and a trial. He wanted to show her off. It had been something niggling at the back of his mind since he was too young to really understand it, but now that he had her, he realized that it was dangerous to flaunt her, and their relationship. A part of him wanted nothing more than to do just that, waltz her up and down the length of the train declaring his claim on her. But it had already been proven that the world was not safe for them to be so blatant, even if they'd already made their relationship clear, it wouldn't do to flaunt it. That would just be asking for trouble, and with their fathers on their way to prison, their entire future was in question.

So, when the Express arrived at Kings Cross they rose and prepared to depart, and he hovered, his fingers tracing her hips, but not completely cupping them; he glared at anyone who came too close, but didn't actually say anything.

Calla seemed largely unaffected, she was entirely calm and collected. Or, perhaps, she was a much better actress than he'd ever given her credit for. Which was entirely possible.

But then, when they were stepping off the train she looked around to gauge her surroundings - a behaviour of which he approved - and then she spotted a young woman with short, bright pink hair and sprinted towards her shouting, "Dora!" He wasn't sure where she'd found that reserve of energy.

Thankfully the woman in question caught Calla and it was only upon seeing that she was safe that Draco looked around and realized that the two witches were surrounded by Order members: Alastor Moody was unmistakable; then there was Remus Lupin, their former defense professor; and in addition were the Weasley parents.

Draco didn't like any of this bunch on principle, but the way that nearly all of them cringed away from Calla's mere presence was so infuriating to him that he could have sworn he felt it burning through his veins. What a bunch of hypocrites.

He went to march after her but Theo grabbed his arm "She won't thank you for it, mate, and you know it."

He threw the other wizard off. "You want me to let them treat her like she's rubbish, now that they know who she is?"

"No, and I'd seriously be thinking about rethinking your betrothal if you didn't care. But as much as I hate to say this, she wouldn't thank you for interfering. And she has this covered." He pointed in the other group's direction, and Draco saw that she was dragging the pink haired witch in question in their direction.

Draco tried to put an appropriately blank expression on his face in order to greet...whomever this was. Especially given the way that Calla was absolutely beaming at them, he didn't want to make a bad impression.

"Dragon!" She called from several meters away, "look who I found!"

Draco wondered if this was some kind of puzzle he was expected to solve and looked over the young woman for any clues. He felt like an idiot.

"Lucky you.," he heard Theo snicker from his side. "Who the fuck is that?"

"No idea," Draco hissed through his teeth.

Luckily, in fact, for him, the woman in question took mercy on him when they reached him and extended her hand before Calla could do anything ridiculous like make them hug. "Hello. I'm Nymphadora Tonks, please just call me Tonks. We're actually cousins, but given the look on your face, you had no idea."

He faltered, uncertain about how he should react. Now that she'd introduced herself he knew very well who she was, even if her mother had been disowned. He was simply at a loss as to how to greet her, especially given his own uncertain status within society at the moment; now he felt like a fool _and_ a hypocrite.

She seemed to be part of Dumbledore's Order, the group was still loitering, speaking to Potter -for Salazar's sake, but did they have no subtlety? They were just gathered on the platform, practically announcing themselves and their purpose - But Calla also seemed to trust her in a way she'd shown a distinct lack of for other members of what Draco would have termed Dumbledore's 'inner circle.' For instance, she deliberately ignored Moody's protestations against her actions when she was dragging Tonks to meet them.

"Hello," he said uncomfortably. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand.

Calla turned to Theo. "And this is my brother, my twin," she clarified, always so proud, "Theodore Nott."

"Always a pleasure to meet one of Calla's friends," responded Theo, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Draco rolled his eyes.

But Calla grinned. "Dora and I," she licked her lips and bounced a little on her feet, still grasping the arm of the older witch. "We used to have tea together… with our mothers," there was a beat of silence and Calla rushed on. "Of course Dora's a lot older than me and she was always very kind to keep me entertained."

"Oh hush, you were a sweetheart, just like your mother," Dora interrupted, and then moved to put an arm around Calla's shoulders. Calla leaned into her and sniffed as she tried to get her emotions under control. "Now, is there anything I can do to help you out? Settling into two identities can't be easy and I know you're straddling two worlds as well."

"Really?" Calla asked, her eyes welling with tears as she looked up at the other witch. And Draco was not at all surprised that Tonks just nodded, a small smile on her face. Merlin, who could deny this witch?

"Are you busy this evening?"

"Free as a bird," Tonks responded. "I was just here to see Harry and, truth be told, I was hoping to run into you too."

Somehow Calla's smile managed to widen further. "Well, we're going to Diagon Alley and then to see my parents. I would be forever grateful if you'd come and help me talk to them. They know you and you have a certain perspective that would be helpful in explaining things to them."

"Sure thing, ready to go?"

Calla nodded eagerly and took his hand. He studiously ignored the many stares the four of them garnered as they made their way off the platform and into muggle London.

**Author's Note: Yep, Calla's up to something, but I'm afraid you're all going to have to be patient along with Draco ;) Thanks to Weestarmeggie for beta reading. Y'all keep staying safe, thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

They had just passed through the barrier into the Muggle side of Kings Cross when Calla's roommates came sprinting through it as well, calling for her. Calla dropped his hand and huddled together with them. Draco watched on warily, exchanging a look with Theo who just shrugged

"How did it go?" Lavender asked, gently clasping his witch's elbow. He stared at them, wondering what they were up to, until they both looked at him in such a way that he immediately retreated a few feet.

"She totally bought it," Calla responded, doing little to keep her voice down. "She's either very stupid or she thinks I am. She tried to flirt with Teddy right in front of me, for Merlin's sake! Like she hasn't been setting her sights on my betrothed!"

"What a slag," Lavender hissed.

"Seriously, that takes some nerve," Parvati agreed.

They were talking about Pansy, Draco realized. Whatever Calla was up to, she'd enlisted her roommates. He almost felt sorry for the girl.

"Don't forget to keep us updated," Parvati continued.

"Of course, and I'll owl regardless. And I can't make any promises but I'll definitely talk to Aunt Cissa about the two of you popping over for a visit."

At this both girls squealed, and did little happy dances which made Calla smile, but also squirm. Then they quickly said their farewells with hugs and cheek kisses, they waved to him and Theo, and then disappeared back through the barrier. Which is when Draco realized that Harry Fucking Potter had also emerged with his entourage and was apparently waiting to speak to her.

He remembered what Teddy had said on the platform, and he didn't want to cause a scene for Calla's sake, but when he saw the Weasel King standing next to his parents, looking at a witch who, until two weeks ago, he'd called his best friend like she was lower than something stuck on the bottom of his boot, he couldn't help but glare at the other boy. Calla didn't seem to notice.

She spoke in hushed voices with Potter and then hugged him. She turned to address the rest of his group. "It was good to see you all, have a good summer," she said with a bright smile.

Their former professor smiled in return, but it was weak. "You too, Hermione."

The Weasley father kind of twitched and then said: "You be careful, Hermione."

She stood up a little straighter at that. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be with my family, Mr. Weasley. You don't need to worry about me." Then she gave a little wave, turned, and took his hand, pulling him away without looking back.

There was a car waiting for them which Calla had hired in advance from a magical car service which Draco hadn't even realized existed, and once it was all loaded up with their trunks they started to make their way to Diagon Alley, with his cousin in tow. Calla happily chatting to the other witch all the time.

Draco tried to keep quiet and just take in muggle London, a place he'd rarely been, but inwardly he was seething. But when Calla asked Tonks about the welfare of the members of the Order she hadn't seen, he snapped.

"Aren't you furious?" He demanded.

"About what?" She asked, toying with his fingers.

"About the way you so-called friends and now the members of the Order have been treating you now that they know you're a Nott? I mean, aren't they supposed to be the good guys or something?" He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

She just stared at him for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. "Yes, Draco, it does make me angry that they would judge me for who and what my parents are, something over which I have absolutely no control. Isn't that terrible?"

Well fuck.

Draco felt his face heat and he looked away. He was running out of legs to stand on when it came to the blood purity issue.

"It's not the same thing," Theo argued, and Draco realized that he'd started this, but now he wanted nothing more than for his friend to just shut up.

"You're right, it's not," Calla said and Draco's head snapped up and his eyes flew to her face, which was deceptively calm.

"What, really?"

"From their perspective I'm the daughter of an inner circle Death Eater," she let out a long breath, "and he doesn't just happen to be my biological father. I was taken at five years old. I remember him. I love him still, they must suspect as much. And I've refused to go back to headquarters but, instead, chose to spend my summer with the wife and sons of two Death Eaters to whom I've already shown marked loyalty. I bet they're afraid that blood may prove to be thicker than water."

She paused and took a long breath, in and out.

"And I know things about the Order. Moreso, I probably know Harry better than anybody else in the world. On top of which, they've just lost the resources of House Black with Sirius' death and, ironically, my betrothed now has control over said resources." She let out another long breath. "I'm dangerous to them, or I could be, if I chose to be. I honestly can't blame them for being wary." She looked at Tonks, gaze suddenly sharp. "Is that about the long and short of it?"

The older witch stared, obviously shocked by Calla's analysis. Her hair had gone nearly white over the course of Calla's speech, but then she just pursed her lips and nodded.

"Is that why you're here?" Calla's voice was neither surprised nor disappointed.

Tonks sighed. "I'm not here to spy on you, if that's what you're asking. But I think it's important that you know that you still have friends in the Order. If the rest of them insist on pushing you away, you may eventually allow yourself to be pushed. My mother has indicated on more than one occasion that if her family had been even a little more understanding, a little more loving, she might not have left. I know it was almost impossible for her to leave Narcissa behind. If she'd been betrothed to somebody other than Lucius Malfoy I'm not sure that Mum would have been able to convince herself to leave."

"Wait, what?" Asked Draco, intrigued despite himself, these were things that were just not spoken of.

"You didn't know that our mothers were very close as children?"

"No, Mother doesn't talk about her. Though now it seems that might be for a different reason than I had assumed."

"That's how I got to know Calliope." Tonks frowned. "Hermione," she corrected herself, and then she grinned impishly. "Calmione."

Calla shot her a look that would have had Draco ducking for cover at that ridiculous amalgamation of her name. But then Tonks' earlier words really sank in, and he frowned in confusion.

Tonks had obviously noticed and responded to his unspoken question: "Both of your grandfathers forbade Narcissa from having any direct contact with my mum, but they had no authority over Lady Nott."

"Oh," Theo breathed, "she was their go-between," he surmised.

"Yes," Tonks confirmed with a nod of her head, "though they were friends in their own right. Mum was only one year above them in school."

"And what was it that you were saying before about my father?" Draco asked, unable to stifle his curiosity.

"My mother trusted your father to take care of your mother," she answered simply.

Draco fought back the bitter thought about how the man was doing a real shite job of that at the moment.

Theo looked at Calla, obviously troubled. "Why didn't she bring me along on these visits?"

"She called it our girls' secret, I think that was probably the _only_ secret I ever kept from either of you, actually," she squeezed Draco's hand and smiled sadly. "I can only guess what she was thinking, but you remember how the late Lord Malfoy was..." she trailed off and looked at Draco apologetically.

He just shook his head. Whatever Calla was thinking, he thought worse. She shot him a tight smile and turned back to Theo. "Mother technically wasn't doing anything wrong but if he had found out he would have been furious and it would have been a big embarrassment for father, like he couldn't control his wife and that would have been ten times worse if she had involved his heir."

"You're right," Theo sighed, pushing his hair up off of his forehead. "But then why involve you."

There was a long pause and a sniffle. "Mother was so proud of us Teddy, so proud. I think she just wanted Andromeda to know at least one of us."

He nodded and reached across the seat to take her free hand. He let out a choked laugh. "Okay but what do you think the chances are that Father didn't know exactly what she was up to?"

Calla sniffled again and giggled. "Oh, 0%"

After a moment Tonks cleared her throat. "I'm very sorry about her, she was lovely. I've missed her."

"Thank you," they answered in tandem.

At that moment the Leaky Cauldron came into view and Draco had never been so pleased to see it. He was not built for these kinds of emotional conversations, at least not with anybody other than Calla, and especially not with Tonks who, cousin or not, was a stranger.

They went to Gringotts first. Calla was completely uninterested in her trust vault.

"I don't _need_ any money, Teddy!" She was insisting even as they were barrelling towards the Nott vaults in a cart that Draco was fully convinced the goblins used solely for the purposes of terrorizing their customers. "I have plenty of my own."

Draco glanced at Theo and it was obvious that statement had struck a nerve.

Theo set his jaw and looked purposefully away from his sister. "So it's like that?"

"It's like what?"Her voice had become almost shrill.

Theo didn't even glance at her as he answered. "You're perfectly happy to take money from your muggle parents, but you won't use anything our parents set aside for you at birth? Are you so determined to deny your birthright, Calla?"

"Of course not, I didn't mean it like that!"

"How did you mean it then?"

"Just that I don't need the money. I'm not a particularly extravagant person."

"And what next, you won't need me?"

Calla's mouth dropped open. "How could you even say that. It's just money. You're my _brother._"

"Yeah well," Theo answered rather petulantly, scuffing his boot against the floor of the cart. "You don't seem to want much to do with our family."

Draco knew that he was being unfair, but he also understood where the other wizard was coming from. Calla opened her mouth to argue, but then promptly shut it, and he swelled with pride when she turned to him, obviously looking for help. He nuzzled her hair to disguise that he was speaking to her.

"We're about to go meet your parents," he whispered. "I think it's really hitting him that you have a whole other family that he isn't a part of."

She turned her face towards his and took a deep breath before speaking. "I- okay, that's understandable. But what does he want from me?"

"Exactly what he's saying, just a sign that you've accepted him. The money is yours inside the bank or out of it, throw him a bone and withdraw some."

"Oh," she breathed, she took several more deep breaths as she leaned heavily into Draco's side, and then she physically gathered herself. "Okay, Teddy, but I'm using some of it to buy you a present, I have years to make up for."

Theo scoffed but turned to look at her with a small smile and a nod.

By contrast, she was practically vibrating with excitement to visit the Black vaults. Not that she even glanced at the piles of galleons. No, she made a beeline for the books and heirlooms and began accumulating things with impressive efficiency until it reached the point that even between the four of them, and using magic, they had no hope of just carrying it all out of there. And so they sent Theo out to buy a new trunk using a good chunk of the galleons Calla had just taken out of her trust vault- Draco decided challenging her over who got to pay for it was a battle not worth fighting- and Theo was laughing so hard when he left that he didn't even manage to tell her that he'd told her so.

After that they only had time for a quick stop into Flourish and Blotts. While Calla was busy clearing their shelves Draco made an- absolutely necessary- run into Sugarplum's. He returned to find Theo ladened down with books while Tonks did her own browsing.

They both tried to assure Calla that between Malfoy Manor, Highvale Park, and the Black estate, they probably already owned a good portion of these books. They encouraged her to at least check the library catalogues before she bought duplicates, but she just murmured something about the books not being for her, and kept methodically moving through the store.

At some point their presence in the Alley had been noticed and there was a small press contingent when they exited the bookshop which left Draco feeling grateful that they were about to return to the muggle world, but also dreading what the next morning's Daily Prophet might bring.

They met his mother just outside of the Leaky Cauldron. It irked him more than he cared to admit that she had been obviously uncomfortable meeting the train on meeting them in Diagon Alley and as it did with each passing day, his anger with his father grew.

His mother went absolutely still when she spotted her niece accompanying them and Draco braced himself for, well, he didn't know what. Her blue eyes had become suspiciously glassy and she'd begun to swallow convulsively upon spotting the younger witch. "Nymphadora?" She eventually managed.

Tonks gave her a small but genuine smile and nodded. "Hello, Aunt. But please, for the love of Merlin, call me Tonks, or at the very least Dora."

His mother smiled brightly. "Dora it is, then."

And that had been that.

They re-entered the car that had been waiting for them, loading their purchases quickly. Draco refused to look at his mother, whom he knew was eyeing his large bag from the sweetshop- he refused to feel guilty, he'd bought for the other three as well, after all. But once they'd set off Calla started to do the oddest things: squirming, rubbing her palms against her knees; it was when she started to chew her fingernails that he snapped. He knew he should have been more considerate, more thoughtful of what she was going through, especially given the misstep he'd already made today, but he couldn't help himself, he hated it when she was upset.

"What's wrong?" He barked.

She actually startled in her seat at his tone. "What?"

He made a concerted effort to lower his voice. "I'm sorry, it's just that you're obviously upset. What's wrong?" He reiterated.

She looked at him with wide glassy eyes. "What's wrong, is that I can't pretend that there's nothing wrong anymore. It was one thing at Hogwarts, but here in the real world, to my parents…" she trailed off.

"What does that mean?" Theo interrupted. "The real world?"

"It means," she hissed, lurching towards him, "the world I grew up in. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it's just the way that it is. And my parents haven't done anything wrong, how am I supposed to bring this down on them, not only who I am, but the reality of the way things are in our world right now?"

"Calliope," his mother began gently.

"No," she shook her head and waved her hand back and forth, "none of you can understand. I get it, you've all been through things I can't understand, but that goes both ways. This is going to break their hearts, no matter how I explain it, and I don't want to do it."

Draco had something like a breakthrough in that moment, or perhaps it had been coming in waves over the past couple of weeks: he felt incredibly grateful to have gotten her back, but as much as he was thrilled, it must be almost impossibly difficult for her to handle essentially melding two personalities, but despite that, she'd never once rejected him and so the least he could do was accept her, without question. "What do you need?" He asked.

She looked up at him, her eyes puzzled, but when she caught his, her expression settled into one of gratitude. "Just, stay with me, okay?"

"Of course," he let go of her hand and put his arm around her instead and she laid her head on his shoulder.

They rode along in silence after that, the tension in the car palpable, until he felt Calla tense up and then relax.

"What is it?"

"That's my house, up there on the left."

Draco looked around. He wasn't completely out of touch, he knew he'd led a highly privileged life. The houses they were driving past were nothing like Malfoy Manor, but he could tell that they were nice, comfortable, many of his acquaintances had grown up in less luxurious accommodations. He let out an internal sigh of relief at this further proof that she'd led a good life.

The front door to Calla's house opened as they exited the car and she practically sprinted towards it- she really had to stop doing that.

"Mum!" She cried as a pretty brunette stepped outside- if Draco hadn't known better he easily could have believed that she was Calla's real mother- the woman caught Calla as she burst into tears. She kissed her head and soothed her even as she beckoned them forward. Draco eyed their embrace, it was the first time anybody other than his mother or Theo had touched her that he had felt no jealousy or proprietary claim.

"You know, darling," Draco heard her murmur, "when you said you were bringing some people home I was expecting a happy occasion." He could tell that she was trying to make light of things, perhaps to help Calla save face, but then she froze, her eyes locked on Theo. "Oh," she breathed, with something like wonder, "you've found them."

Draco stood back a few meters, his heart in his throat as he absorbed the weight of her words. Theo had also frozen, but he immediately stepped forward when Calla's muggle mother grinned at him and reached out with one arm, requesting: "may I hug you?"

Much to Draco's surprise he practically sprinted to embrace the woman. And Draco felt a well of envy rise up in his chest at the sight, as irrational as he knew it to be.

At that point a man stepped outside. Draco knew that he was a muggle; Calla's muggle father. He wasn't even particularly physically intimidating, and so, of course, Draco was aware that he didn't have magic, yet Draco had never been so intimidated by anybody in his entire life.

The man that Draco knew to be Richard Granger looked between the various groups huddled in his front garden and sighed. "Perhaps you should all come inside."


End file.
